1 00:00:32,708 --> 00:00:35,311 VICTOR PERILLO: There are certain performers that are given to us, 2 00:00:35,411 --> 00:00:37,447 to change our lives, 3 00:00:37,547 --> 00:00:38,848 to make us happy. 4 00:00:40,450 --> 00:00:43,886 And I think that Gary Coleman was one of them. 5 00:00:43,986 --> 00:00:46,956 Stand up so Arnie-poo can knock you down. 6 00:00:50,126 --> 00:00:54,063 (BOTH SNARLING) 7 00:00:55,598 --> 00:00:57,800 TODD BRIDGES: Name me another child actor that was like him. 8 00:00:59,001 --> 00:01:02,338 The kid was a true star. 9 00:01:02,438 --> 00:01:04,006 Whatchu talkin' about, Willis? 10 00:01:05,908 --> 00:01:09,379 BRIDGES: Unfortunately, all of that got snatched from poor Gary. 11 00:01:09,479 --> 00:01:13,416 MAN: Why do so many child stars end up broke or broken? 12 00:01:13,516 --> 00:01:20,323 Gary felt completely abandoned by the people who were closest to him. 13 00:01:21,891 --> 00:01:25,928 Whether it was his parents or former business people. 14 00:01:26,028 --> 00:01:29,999 DREW RYCE: He'd earned over $18 million as an actor... 15 00:01:30,133 --> 00:01:33,169 and most of the money was going to people that weren't Gary. 16 00:01:34,237 --> 00:01:36,038 ANNA GRAY: It really devastated him. 17 00:01:37,206 --> 00:01:39,742 He didn't trust people anymore. 18 00:01:41,411 --> 00:01:45,548 FEMALE REPORTER: Former child actor Gary Coleman faces assault charges. 19 00:01:45,648 --> 00:01:52,255 It's little wonder that Gary spent so much time escaping reality. 20 00:01:52,355 --> 00:01:57,393 He liked outer space because it was just a way of hoping 21 00:01:57,493 --> 00:02:00,797 and dreaming about that better future that Gar wanted to live in. 22 00:02:02,365 --> 00:02:06,302 My prayer was that he would meet somebody that loved him. 23 00:02:07,103 --> 00:02:08,805 I love you. 24 00:02:08,905 --> 00:02:14,177 Their relationship was tumultuous. Raging, yelling and demeaning. 25 00:02:14,277 --> 00:02:15,745 SHANNON PRICE: I slapped him a couple of times. 26 00:02:15,845 --> 00:02:19,415 I mean, nothing major, nothing like red flag. 27 00:02:19,515 --> 00:02:23,619 Former child star, Gary Coleman died in a Utah hospital on Friday 28 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:26,656 after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He was 42. 29 00:02:26,756 --> 00:02:30,426 I think everybody felt that the death of Gary Coleman was suspicious. 30 00:02:32,195 --> 00:02:34,163 INTERVIEWER: You said, "I've had a lot of people sit there and say, 31 00:02:34,263 --> 00:02:35,765 "'Yeah, she pushed him.'" 32 00:02:35,865 --> 00:02:38,468 I would never hurt my husband. Ever. 33 00:02:38,568 --> 00:02:41,137 DION MIAL: I really wanted some answers. 34 00:02:41,237 --> 00:02:44,373 Why did his life have to end this way? 35 00:02:51,547 --> 00:02:53,416 GARY COLEMAN: Celebrity's always a burden. 36 00:02:53,516 --> 00:02:55,685 You're stuck with it for life. 37 00:02:55,785 --> 00:02:57,687 You're gonna die a celebrity. 38 00:03:06,295 --> 00:03:09,565 How do you like all the shade and shit I'm throwing at people? 39 00:03:09,665 --> 00:03:12,235 (CHUCKLES) 40 00:03:16,105 --> 00:03:20,109 I don't like to be ugly. But like, for this documentary, 41 00:03:20,176 --> 00:03:26,482 this is probably the last that I can actually speak truth. 42 00:03:26,582 --> 00:03:29,652 And you know, because I've had a lot to absorb over the years. 43 00:03:36,659 --> 00:03:38,461 I was in bed. 44 00:03:38,561 --> 00:03:42,331 And Gary was already downstairs. 45 00:03:42,432 --> 00:03:46,536 And to me it sounded like pans that hit the floor. 46 00:04:11,461 --> 00:04:16,632 I got out of bed and I went downstairs and there he was laying down... 47 00:04:17,567 --> 00:04:19,102 on the floor... 48 00:04:19,135 --> 00:04:21,404 with blood around his head. 49 00:04:30,513 --> 00:04:35,952 I did not want to intervene with where all the blood was 50 00:04:36,119 --> 00:04:37,420 because I knew help was coming. 51 00:04:48,331 --> 00:04:52,135 I mean, blood doesn't really freak me out. It was just the amount of it. 52 00:05:09,719 --> 00:05:12,889 I met Gary while he was filming the movie Church Ball, 53 00:05:12,989 --> 00:05:15,758 and It was here behind us. 54 00:05:17,693 --> 00:05:20,430 So I was waiting for, you know, the person in charge 55 00:05:20,530 --> 00:05:24,567 for the extras, the director, whatever, and the door opened, 56 00:05:24,667 --> 00:05:26,602 and it was Gary. 57 00:05:26,702 --> 00:05:29,772 He's like, "You're too cute to be here. You should go home." 58 00:05:29,872 --> 00:05:34,310 And I was like, "Oh. No, I'm just trying to see what's going on here." 59 00:05:34,410 --> 00:05:36,112 I wanted to be an extra possibly. 60 00:05:36,145 --> 00:05:39,415 And he was like, "If anyone says anything, say Gary Coleman sent you," 61 00:05:39,515 --> 00:05:40,750 and he let me in. 62 00:05:40,850 --> 00:05:43,252 Guys, beers on me! 63 00:05:43,352 --> 00:05:46,856 PRICE: I just sat up on the bleachers and he worked his way up 64 00:05:46,956 --> 00:05:48,491 and then asked for my number. 65 00:05:50,326 --> 00:05:53,396 I didn't think that he was going to call me at all. 66 00:05:53,496 --> 00:05:56,132 And I was really shocked to hear the voicemail the next day. 67 00:05:56,232 --> 00:05:58,267 What's the worst that could happen? 68 00:05:58,367 --> 00:06:00,670 He actually brought me Olive Garden takeout, 69 00:06:00,770 --> 00:06:02,105 which was really sweet. 70 00:06:02,205 --> 00:06:04,373 I was like, "Okay, is this too good to be true, or is this real?" 71 00:06:06,275 --> 00:06:10,747 I actually went back with him to his hotel that he was staying in Provo. 72 00:06:10,847 --> 00:06:14,317 It was really cool. We just started talking and watched TV 73 00:06:14,417 --> 00:06:15,718 or played a couple of video games. 74 00:06:15,818 --> 00:06:19,322 It was basically just get-to-know-you kind of a thing. 75 00:06:19,422 --> 00:06:22,992 I honestly didn't know who he was at all. I never sawDiff'rent Strokes. 76 00:06:23,092 --> 00:06:26,996 And he started to tell me about his life 77 00:06:27,096 --> 00:06:30,466 and everything that had happened. 78 00:06:30,566 --> 00:06:33,503 And I mean, it's pretty rough. 79 00:06:45,214 --> 00:06:46,983 INTERVIEWER: Are you okay to take the gum out? 80 00:06:49,385 --> 00:06:51,120 -Or I can stick it behind my ear. -(INTERVIEWER LAUGHS) 81 00:06:51,454 --> 00:06:54,323 (CHUCKLES) 82 00:06:59,395 --> 00:07:02,732 SUE: Gary was born in 1968. 83 00:07:02,832 --> 00:07:04,801 He was always an entertainer. 84 00:07:05,835 --> 00:07:08,337 Even as a youngster. 85 00:07:09,772 --> 00:07:12,942 We were shopping for school clothes 86 00:07:13,076 --> 00:07:14,944 and they were doing like a fashion show, 87 00:07:15,078 --> 00:07:17,313 and they were showing all the children's fashions. 88 00:07:17,413 --> 00:07:18,948 And he was like... 89 00:07:19,682 --> 00:07:21,818 "I can do that?" 90 00:07:21,918 --> 00:07:26,422 I wrote a letter to the coordinator of the program 91 00:07:26,522 --> 00:07:29,926 if she allowed little boys to model clothes. 92 00:07:30,093 --> 00:07:33,830 And that Fall, I was modelling clothes on a little runway. 93 00:07:33,930 --> 00:07:37,166 The manager of the mall saw a lot of the shows 94 00:07:37,266 --> 00:07:40,002 and said, "That kid has talent. He should have an agent.'" 95 00:07:40,103 --> 00:07:43,406 And he gave my parents a card to an agent in Chicago. 96 00:07:51,547 --> 00:07:54,183 PERILLO: Gary's parents brought him into the agency. 97 00:07:54,283 --> 00:07:58,321 He was only about eight years old, seven, actually. 98 00:07:58,421 --> 00:08:00,289 And he wore a three-piece suit... 99 00:08:01,591 --> 00:08:03,326 and had a high-pitched voice. 100 00:08:05,361 --> 00:08:09,232 I collected bears, and he was knocking them off my shelf. 101 00:08:09,332 --> 00:08:11,067 He had a great laugh. 102 00:08:11,134 --> 00:08:14,070 And I knew that he was a tremendous talent. 103 00:08:15,505 --> 00:08:20,109 GARY: The thing that really started the wheel rolling really fast 104 00:08:20,209 --> 00:08:23,846 is the Harris Bank commercial. 105 00:08:23,946 --> 00:08:27,116 Well, it's that time of the year when you can get a Hubert doll 106 00:08:27,216 --> 00:08:28,451 at the Harris Bank. 107 00:08:28,551 --> 00:08:31,287 Just open a savings account with $200 or more. 108 00:08:31,387 --> 00:08:35,224 Or add $200 dollars to a savings account you already have. 109 00:08:36,125 --> 00:08:38,728 Huby, the Huby doll... 110 00:08:38,828 --> 00:08:41,764 Oh, my God, where did you get this? This is amazing. 111 00:08:41,864 --> 00:08:43,166 It's not a bear, but it's all right. 112 00:08:45,168 --> 00:08:48,438 You can never have too many Hubert dolls 'cause... 113 00:08:48,538 --> 00:08:53,209 (CHUCKLES) you can never save too much money! 114 00:08:53,309 --> 00:08:57,814 PERILLO: We made the Norman Lear producers aware of that commercial. 115 00:08:57,914 --> 00:08:59,215 My name is Norman Lear. 116 00:09:05,755 --> 00:09:09,959 Norman Lear was a big shot producer back in the 1970s. 117 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:13,062 And he was sending a scout around 118 00:09:13,162 --> 00:09:16,966 and when Gary got to the audition, he was there for three hours 119 00:09:17,066 --> 00:09:18,534 and he was reading with everybody. 120 00:09:20,303 --> 00:09:24,440 The casting director said to me, "You know, he's a superb talent. 121 00:09:24,540 --> 00:09:27,076 "He's got a tremendous timing." 122 00:09:27,143 --> 00:09:29,779 And insisted that Lear see him. 123 00:09:43,092 --> 00:09:44,127 (WILLIE SPEAKING) 124 00:09:58,374 --> 00:10:00,877 EVE BRANDSTEIN: I was told to come up and meet this young man 125 00:10:00,977 --> 00:10:06,082 who came bouncing out of his office and was 126 00:10:06,182 --> 00:10:10,353 just a ball of energy and funny and adorable. 127 00:10:10,453 --> 00:10:12,488 (GOOD TIMESTHEME MUSIC PLAYING) 128 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:21,164 He was put under contract immediately. And he was doing appearances 129 00:10:21,264 --> 00:10:22,832 because we were beginning to build him. 130 00:10:22,932 --> 00:10:24,167 Hey, look here, Mama. 131 00:10:27,770 --> 00:10:29,205 Let me tell you something. 132 00:10:29,305 --> 00:10:32,942 We're gonna settle this thing right here and now. 133 00:10:33,042 --> 00:10:36,279 It like hit the roof. "Who is this kid?" 134 00:10:36,379 --> 00:10:38,881 Chicago's answer to the neutron bomb. 135 00:10:40,883 --> 00:10:42,652 At your service. 136 00:10:43,853 --> 00:10:45,221 Hello, totem pole. 137 00:10:46,789 --> 00:10:49,192 Everybody wanted to see Gary Coleman. 138 00:10:49,292 --> 00:10:51,794 Gary, I'd like you to meet Miss Florida Evans. 139 00:10:51,894 --> 00:10:52,995 Hey, Flo! 140 00:10:54,197 --> 00:10:56,966 GARY: I thought, "Hey, this is a whole new adventure. 141 00:10:57,066 --> 00:11:00,236 "This is cool. This is fun. And wait a minute, 142 00:11:00,336 --> 00:11:03,840 "I get paid for this?" That kind of thing. 143 00:11:03,940 --> 00:11:06,976 Never in my wildest dreams had I ever thought 144 00:11:07,110 --> 00:11:08,978 it could get bigger than that. 145 00:11:09,112 --> 00:11:11,180 (DIFF'RENT STROKES THEME MUSIC PLAYING) 146 00:11:17,754 --> 00:11:21,591 BRANDSTEIN: I was told they had a script for a show calledDiff'rent Strokes. 147 00:11:21,691 --> 00:11:27,397 And they asked Conrad Bain to be the father of these two young kids 148 00:11:27,497 --> 00:11:29,432 that were orphans that he took in. 149 00:11:34,971 --> 00:11:37,240 Ah-ha! You're here. 150 00:11:37,340 --> 00:11:38,508 Welcome, gentlemen. 151 00:11:38,608 --> 00:11:39,776 How about that, Willis? 152 00:11:39,876 --> 00:11:42,145 Downtown two minutes and already we're gentlemen. 153 00:11:45,281 --> 00:11:46,849 Come in, come in. 154 00:11:47,817 --> 00:11:49,485 BRIDGES: Oops, shoot, sorry. 155 00:11:50,453 --> 00:11:51,421 Sorry. 156 00:11:51,521 --> 00:11:53,456 My clumsy feet, get in the way. 157 00:11:54,157 --> 00:11:55,158 All right. 158 00:11:56,259 --> 00:11:57,493 I got clumsy feet, so. 159 00:12:01,330 --> 00:12:04,734 The very first time that I met Gary, 160 00:12:04,834 --> 00:12:07,370 I was like, "This ain't no little kid." 161 00:12:07,470 --> 00:12:11,174 (CHUCKLES) "This is not a little kid." 162 00:12:11,274 --> 00:12:14,110 Because he was so smart. 163 00:12:14,143 --> 00:12:16,879 He was so ingenious and just funny. 164 00:12:16,979 --> 00:12:19,716 Be careful of my goldfish. His name is Abraham 165 00:12:21,818 --> 00:12:23,686 I've never seen a black goldfish before. 166 00:12:23,786 --> 00:12:26,289 That's okay. He never saw a rich white man before either. 167 00:12:29,125 --> 00:12:31,661 He was cute and he played games. 168 00:12:31,761 --> 00:12:35,898 He joked with everybody. He'd always hide stuff from people. 169 00:12:35,998 --> 00:12:39,335 And then he would always come in my room and steal my combs 170 00:12:39,435 --> 00:12:44,507 because he was like, "That hurts. That hurts." I was like, "Well, 171 00:12:44,607 --> 00:12:47,143 "it's going to hurt worse if you don't sit still." 172 00:12:58,421 --> 00:13:02,692 We happened to be in my garage, which is one of the storage spaces 173 00:13:02,792 --> 00:13:05,561 that I I have for a lot of Gary's memorabilia, 174 00:13:05,661 --> 00:13:08,464 that Gary collected throughout his life and career. 175 00:13:09,766 --> 00:13:10,933 I've got photos. 176 00:13:11,467 --> 00:13:13,469 We have awards. 177 00:13:13,903 --> 00:13:17,106 This is Gary's... 178 00:13:18,374 --> 00:13:19,942 venerable... 179 00:13:21,144 --> 00:13:24,280 show jacket from Diff'rent Strokes. 180 00:13:25,481 --> 00:13:27,617 Can you believe how small he was? 181 00:13:28,684 --> 00:13:30,253 It takes me back for sure. 182 00:13:30,353 --> 00:13:31,354 No question. 183 00:13:35,525 --> 00:13:39,429 My mother needed to get to set to audit one of the teachers. 184 00:13:39,529 --> 00:13:42,965 She suggested that I come along because she heard there was this new 185 00:13:43,132 --> 00:13:49,005 sensational kid named Gary Coleman that she was very eager to meet. 186 00:13:49,138 --> 00:13:52,341 And I accompanied her to the set. 187 00:13:52,442 --> 00:13:55,344 He was a mere 10 years old and I was 14 years old. 188 00:13:56,412 --> 00:13:59,015 And we became true childhood friends. 189 00:14:00,783 --> 00:14:06,289 I knew upon the first take, something was different. 190 00:14:06,389 --> 00:14:12,428 I had never, ever seen a kid that was so dynamic. 191 00:14:12,528 --> 00:14:18,101 There was a meteor that had landed unlike anything I had ever seen before 192 00:14:18,134 --> 00:14:20,169 in the constellation of child stars. 193 00:14:27,810 --> 00:14:30,213 PHILIP: Everything's gonna be okay, honey. 194 00:14:30,313 --> 00:14:32,715 Arnold and Willis will come and tell me what it's all about. 195 00:14:32,815 --> 00:14:34,183 Here they come now. 196 00:14:35,385 --> 00:14:38,121 -Hi, guys. -ARNOLD: Hi, Dad. Hi Julie. 197 00:14:41,457 --> 00:14:43,760 We are in stage 17 where Diff'rent Strokes was shot. 198 00:14:44,861 --> 00:14:47,797 How do you do? I'm happy Willis. 199 00:14:48,865 --> 00:14:52,201 And I'm delirious Arnold. 200 00:14:52,301 --> 00:14:56,139 It was so much fun working with Gary. We were thick as thieves, man. 201 00:14:56,239 --> 00:14:59,175 Big brother, little brother, we did everything together. 202 00:14:59,275 --> 00:15:02,311 This is Dana Plato. She's the girl in the show. 203 00:15:02,412 --> 00:15:06,416 Me and Gary Coleman and Dana Plato, who played Kimberly in the show, 204 00:15:06,516 --> 00:15:10,753 we hung out together and we had a great time, you know. 205 00:15:10,853 --> 00:15:14,524 I'm only 13 years old and he's only 10, I think. 206 00:15:15,658 --> 00:15:19,529 We used to build the most amazing spaceships. 207 00:15:19,629 --> 00:15:22,899 -I'm fixing his lasers. -He put lasers on, that's the problem. 208 00:15:22,999 --> 00:15:25,301 I got two lasers in the front already. He needs some lasers. 209 00:15:26,769 --> 00:15:29,672 Kids, we're gonna shoot the second show. We need you on stage, please. 210 00:15:29,772 --> 00:15:31,641 ALL: Okay. 211 00:15:31,741 --> 00:15:35,344 All through here was the audience and over here was the set. 212 00:15:35,445 --> 00:15:37,847 And we had, let's see, the living room was right here. 213 00:15:38,614 --> 00:15:40,483 -(MUSIC PLAYING) -This is dancing. 214 00:15:43,553 --> 00:15:46,322 And this was our bedroom. 215 00:15:46,422 --> 00:15:49,325 -Arnold, are you in there? -No, I'm not in there. 216 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:52,361 And this was the kitchen. 217 00:15:52,462 --> 00:15:56,933 -Well, if it isn't sleeping beauty. -You mean sleeping ugly. 218 00:15:57,033 --> 00:15:58,768 Diff'rent Strokes was a groundbreaking show. 219 00:15:58,868 --> 00:16:01,871 It was a new thing to see blended families on TV. 220 00:16:01,971 --> 00:16:05,341 I never had a white grandma before. 221 00:16:05,441 --> 00:16:10,613 BRIDGES: It was the first time we've seen a white man adopt two Black kids. 222 00:16:10,713 --> 00:16:13,816 BRANDSTEIN: For some white people, the show was unfavorable. 223 00:16:13,916 --> 00:16:18,187 They didn't like it and they were angry with what it was showing. 224 00:16:19,222 --> 00:16:20,523 I don't understand. 225 00:16:20,623 --> 00:16:23,826 Why is a person's color such a big deal to some people? 226 00:16:23,926 --> 00:16:27,096 Sometimes I think if the whole world was the same color, 227 00:16:27,196 --> 00:16:31,134 some people would still find something to hate each other for. 228 00:16:31,234 --> 00:16:34,937 There were some complaints from Black people, too. 229 00:16:35,104 --> 00:16:38,708 They thought that Conrad Bain was being the white savior of Black kids. 230 00:16:38,808 --> 00:16:42,512 I am going to open up a whole new world for you. 231 00:16:42,612 --> 00:16:43,913 It wasn't that there was a white savior there. 232 00:16:44,013 --> 00:16:45,982 It was just a man... 233 00:16:46,115 --> 00:16:49,152 trying to save two kids from ending up being on the streets. 234 00:16:49,252 --> 00:16:52,922 I am going to see that you have the same advantages that I had growing up. 235 00:16:53,022 --> 00:16:57,126 No matter the hate mail from both sides, we knew what we were doing were right, 236 00:16:57,193 --> 00:17:01,230 and the thing that our show proved was love conquers all. 237 00:17:01,898 --> 00:17:06,069 * Ebony and Ivory* 238 00:17:06,135 --> 00:17:10,740 * Live together in perfect harmony* 239 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:12,275 It was a celebration. 240 00:17:12,375 --> 00:17:14,744 You could feel it. The audience loved Gary. 241 00:17:15,211 --> 00:17:16,746 He stole the show. 242 00:17:16,846 --> 00:17:19,816 -You think we'll hit it big? -Yeah, but don't worry, Willis. 243 00:17:19,916 --> 00:17:23,086 If you get rich and famous, you'll always be a nobody to me. 244 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:28,257 He was a big man in this little kid's body. 245 00:17:28,357 --> 00:17:31,194 Some of the things that he would say and the way he would say things, 246 00:17:31,294 --> 00:17:33,396 that's how grown men would say it. 247 00:17:33,496 --> 00:17:35,832 And it was very comical. And the audience loved him. 248 00:17:35,932 --> 00:17:36,933 They loved him. 249 00:17:38,101 --> 00:17:40,570 Suddenly Gary is on the cover of everything. 250 00:17:40,670 --> 00:17:41,838 Black magazines, 251 00:17:41,938 --> 00:17:45,108 white magazines, teen magazines. I mean, he's everywhere. 252 00:17:45,208 --> 00:17:47,710 MAN: How about a picture of your kid for the paper? 253 00:17:47,810 --> 00:17:50,947 I think I can force myself to be on the front page. 254 00:17:54,650 --> 00:17:58,187 Gary's catchphrase was, "Whatchu talkin' about?" 255 00:17:58,287 --> 00:17:59,756 Whatchu talkin' about, Kimberley? 256 00:18:00,423 --> 00:18:02,091 I think it came accidentally. 257 00:18:03,259 --> 00:18:05,561 Whatchu talkin' about, Mr. D? 258 00:18:05,661 --> 00:18:07,697 But they had him saying it three times a show. 259 00:18:08,331 --> 00:18:10,133 Whatchu talkin' about, Willis? 260 00:18:11,334 --> 00:18:13,669 Gary attracted star names... 261 00:18:13,770 --> 00:18:16,305 Mrs. Reagan, I didn't know that you knew Mr. Drummond? 262 00:18:16,406 --> 00:18:17,407 I don't. 263 00:18:17,507 --> 00:18:18,674 ...like Nancy Reagan. 264 00:18:18,775 --> 00:18:20,676 I'm really here to see Arnold. 265 00:18:20,777 --> 00:18:22,845 Whatchu talkin' about, Mrs. Reagan? 266 00:18:22,945 --> 00:18:25,114 Mr. T, who was very popular at the time. 267 00:18:30,853 --> 00:18:33,790 Well, what do we have here? 268 00:18:34,724 --> 00:18:36,959 And Muhammad Ali. 269 00:18:37,093 --> 00:18:40,363 Could I ask a favor while I've still got breath in my little lungs? 270 00:18:41,531 --> 00:18:42,565 Yeah, what is it? 271 00:18:42,665 --> 00:18:44,467 Could you autograph a picture for me? 272 00:18:44,567 --> 00:18:46,469 -Be glad to. -Here's a pen. 273 00:18:48,604 --> 00:18:52,508 PERILLO: He appeared in six movies for NBC and two feature films. 274 00:18:56,946 --> 00:19:00,183 Satellites are launched and we are ready to button up and get some rest 275 00:19:01,117 --> 00:19:03,086 You are a real genius. 276 00:19:03,186 --> 00:19:05,488 Actually, they call it severely gifted. 277 00:19:05,588 --> 00:19:07,757 But it's no big deal. 278 00:19:07,857 --> 00:19:11,394 I remember asking him, "How do you act? How do you know this?" 279 00:19:11,494 --> 00:19:13,796 And he says, "When the director tells me to laugh, I laugh. 280 00:19:13,896 --> 00:19:16,265 "And when the director tells me to cry, I cry." 281 00:19:19,068 --> 00:19:23,406 And yet he'd be home at night, watching his episode ofDiff'rent Strokes 282 00:19:23,506 --> 00:19:25,141 taking notes 283 00:19:25,775 --> 00:19:27,343 on his performance. 284 00:19:30,313 --> 00:19:33,316 Arnold, you look very handsome. 285 00:19:33,416 --> 00:19:34,517 Yes, I do. 286 00:19:41,090 --> 00:19:44,594 PERILLO: Along with being a genius comedic actor, 287 00:19:44,694 --> 00:19:48,231 Gary had a really vivid, creative imagination. 288 00:19:48,331 --> 00:19:52,301 And you would often find him writing fictional stories, 289 00:19:52,402 --> 00:19:55,004 and doodling the characters in a notebook. 290 00:19:55,104 --> 00:19:56,439 He loved outer space. 291 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:01,244 He would write the lines and he would draw these characters. 292 00:20:03,579 --> 00:20:05,615 He would tell me, he says someday the people were going to be 293 00:20:05,715 --> 00:20:07,283 just like the people in Outer Space. 294 00:20:09,585 --> 00:20:13,456 He had this affinity towards that... 295 00:20:13,556 --> 00:20:17,727 to the point that I called the showBuck Rogers that was on TV here for years, 296 00:20:17,827 --> 00:20:20,530 I said, "Gary loves your show and he wants to be on it." 297 00:20:20,630 --> 00:20:22,965 And they put him on in two minutes. 298 00:20:23,066 --> 00:20:25,668 ANNOUNCER: Gary Coleman rockets into the 25th century... 299 00:20:25,768 --> 00:20:28,971 as the president of a distant planet, trapped on a world 300 00:20:29,072 --> 00:20:30,907 where only Buck Rogers can save him. 301 00:20:32,775 --> 00:20:36,913 MIAL: I did have a front row seat in the rise of Gary's success. 302 00:20:37,013 --> 00:20:42,018 I was Gary's best friend, like his brother, 303 00:20:42,118 --> 00:20:46,489 but little did we all know that there was a much more challenging story 304 00:20:46,589 --> 00:20:48,791 that we would all soon come to learn. 305 00:21:03,106 --> 00:21:05,208 SUE: At about... 306 00:21:05,308 --> 00:21:10,213 two years old, Gary started to run a temperature. 307 00:21:11,247 --> 00:21:12,782 And that's when they found out 308 00:21:12,882 --> 00:21:16,719 that he had this congenital kidney defect. 309 00:21:21,691 --> 00:21:25,328 One kidney was pretty much atrophied, 310 00:21:25,428 --> 00:21:28,398 and the other kidney was functioning, 311 00:21:28,498 --> 00:21:30,032 but not really... 312 00:21:30,833 --> 00:21:32,135 properly. 313 00:21:34,137 --> 00:21:35,138 (WILLIE SPEAKING) 314 00:21:47,483 --> 00:21:49,619 SUE: It was really, really tough. 315 00:21:51,054 --> 00:21:53,856 But when he was five and a half, 316 00:21:53,956 --> 00:21:56,893 we got the news that they had a kidney for him. 317 00:22:01,631 --> 00:22:02,632 (WILLIE SPEAKING) 318 00:22:27,523 --> 00:22:31,928 SUE: Two weeks after he had his surgery, he was standing on his head and I said, 319 00:22:32,028 --> 00:22:37,166 "Oh my God, don't do that." And he said, "I'm okay." (CHUCKLES) 320 00:22:37,266 --> 00:22:41,871 So, he had a spirit about him that, "I'm going to master this. 321 00:22:41,971 --> 00:22:44,140 "I'm going to do what I want to do, regardless." 322 00:22:45,007 --> 00:22:47,777 Even when I was five 323 00:22:47,877 --> 00:22:50,279 I was the "do or die," 324 00:22:50,380 --> 00:22:55,151 '"never say die," the tenacious, "I'll be back'," you know, kind of person. 325 00:22:55,218 --> 00:22:56,819 That was the kind of kid I was. 326 00:22:57,620 --> 00:23:00,757 This is the Gary that 327 00:23:00,857 --> 00:23:03,526 the world came to know and love. 328 00:23:03,626 --> 00:23:07,096 And if you look very specifically... 329 00:23:07,196 --> 00:23:12,268 at his size, this was brought on by the immunosuppressant drugs 330 00:23:12,368 --> 00:23:14,670 from his first kidney transplant when he was five. 331 00:23:15,505 --> 00:23:17,874 The drugs stunted his growth. 332 00:23:19,008 --> 00:23:21,711 How tall am I going to be? 6'3"? 333 00:23:22,412 --> 00:23:23,446 Six two? 334 00:23:24,514 --> 00:23:26,616 Six one? 335 00:23:26,716 --> 00:23:30,119 It looks like you're going to grow to be about five feet tall. 336 00:23:31,254 --> 00:23:32,822 Whatchu talkin' about, Doctor? 337 00:23:35,691 --> 00:23:41,130 MIAL: The immunosuppressant drugs brought about the fullness in his face. 338 00:23:41,164 --> 00:23:44,400 You've got the cutest, fattest little cheeks I've ever seen. 339 00:23:46,402 --> 00:23:49,739 Ironically, it was his diminutive size. 340 00:23:49,839 --> 00:23:54,811 and the fullness in his cheeks that created Gary Coleman as we know him. 341 00:23:54,911 --> 00:23:57,947 You're just a sweetie pie. 342 00:23:59,682 --> 00:24:01,384 I was told... 343 00:24:01,484 --> 00:24:05,388 that the prognosis was, if Gary were lucky, 344 00:24:06,222 --> 00:24:09,859 he would live to the age of 12, 345 00:24:09,959 --> 00:24:14,230 and at that point would require another kidney transplant. 346 00:24:15,631 --> 00:24:19,869 So, it's an amazing psychological dynamic 347 00:24:19,969 --> 00:24:24,373 to consider about someone who was so successful... 348 00:24:25,408 --> 00:24:26,876 and so full of life, 349 00:24:27,543 --> 00:24:31,848 who fundamentally never 350 00:24:31,948 --> 00:24:35,718 knew what it was to be fully healthy. 351 00:24:35,818 --> 00:24:39,922 Yeah, he told me, he's like, "Yeah, I had a kidney transplant when I was five." 352 00:24:40,022 --> 00:24:45,128 It was a whole new ballpark for me that, something I just was very unfamiliar with. 353 00:24:45,161 --> 00:24:47,163 I just wanted him happy, healthy, 354 00:24:47,730 --> 00:24:49,132 and just with me. 355 00:24:51,467 --> 00:24:53,870 The thing that I liked about Gary the most 356 00:24:53,970 --> 00:24:57,707 was he treated me like a queen. 357 00:24:59,142 --> 00:25:06,249 He made my life change in so many awesome, drastic ways. 358 00:25:06,349 --> 00:25:09,185 Go to Disneyland, all the things that you think of as a kid 359 00:25:09,285 --> 00:25:10,787 that you want to do, 360 00:25:10,887 --> 00:25:13,689 you never think that that those things are going to happen or be fulfilled. 361 00:25:13,790 --> 00:25:15,825 And he made all that happen and then some. 362 00:25:15,925 --> 00:25:17,860 You know, that meant a lot to me 363 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:19,662 because I never felt important... 364 00:25:20,263 --> 00:25:21,631 as a child. 365 00:25:21,731 --> 00:25:24,133 I never felt like I got that love 366 00:25:24,233 --> 00:25:29,105 that every human deserves, growing up. 367 00:25:29,138 --> 00:25:32,308 I feel like I got my childhood stripped from me at an early age 368 00:25:32,408 --> 00:25:34,544 because I lost my mom. 369 00:25:34,644 --> 00:25:38,181 And I was always just somebody that needed someone. 370 00:25:41,117 --> 00:25:43,453 All I know is that I love you. 371 00:25:44,420 --> 00:25:48,658 And nobody can put a price on true love. 372 00:25:48,758 --> 00:25:49,759 You can't. 373 00:25:53,262 --> 00:25:54,597 Watch the mic! 374 00:25:57,900 --> 00:26:01,337 I'm now aware of you! (CHUCKLES) 375 00:26:03,873 --> 00:26:05,108 I'm a Utah agent. 376 00:26:05,208 --> 00:26:07,443 When do I get somebody as big as Gary Coleman come in? 377 00:26:08,077 --> 00:26:09,178 It doesn't happen. 378 00:26:09,278 --> 00:26:11,881 But it was a joy to me to be able to help them both. 379 00:26:13,116 --> 00:26:15,585 The only thing that mattered to Gary was Shannon. 380 00:26:15,685 --> 00:26:17,487 That's all he wanted... 381 00:26:17,587 --> 00:26:19,956 was to find somebody who he could love. 382 00:26:20,990 --> 00:26:22,859 And Shannon just needed love. 383 00:26:28,598 --> 00:26:31,167 PRICE: Our wedding was amazing. 384 00:26:31,267 --> 00:26:35,538 We went on a helicopter ride, and we went up to the Valley of Fire 385 00:26:35,638 --> 00:26:38,541 and we got married on the most beautiful mountain. 386 00:26:38,641 --> 00:26:40,710 OFFICIANT: I, Gary, take you Shannon. 387 00:26:43,446 --> 00:26:45,314 I, Gary, take you Shannon. 388 00:26:45,415 --> 00:26:48,017 -OFFICIANT: To be my wife. -To be my wife. 389 00:26:48,117 --> 00:26:50,119 I was like, "This is the most beautiful place 390 00:26:50,153 --> 00:26:52,789 "that anybody could have a wedding ceremony." 391 00:26:52,889 --> 00:26:53,890 It was great. 392 00:26:54,724 --> 00:26:56,125 OFFICIANT: I will be faithful to you. 393 00:26:56,159 --> 00:26:59,228 I will, and have been faithful to you. 394 00:26:59,328 --> 00:27:00,596 OFFICIANT: I will be honest with you. 395 00:27:00,696 --> 00:27:03,499 I will be honest with you, and I have been. 396 00:27:03,599 --> 00:27:04,867 OFFICIANT: I will stand by your side. 397 00:27:04,967 --> 00:27:09,572 I will stand by your side through whatever it takes. 398 00:27:09,672 --> 00:27:13,509 My prayer was that he would meet somebody that loved him... 399 00:27:13,609 --> 00:27:15,845 Gary, place this on your lady's finger. 400 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:20,083 ...and somebody that he loved, who could encourage him 401 00:27:20,116 --> 00:27:24,087 mentally, physically, spiritually, and in any other way, you know. 402 00:27:24,554 --> 00:27:25,555 I love you. 403 00:27:27,457 --> 00:27:30,259 But that wasn't the case. 404 00:27:40,737 --> 00:27:43,139 GARY: Dion, turn around, so I can get your open eyes. 405 00:27:43,239 --> 00:27:45,942 You're shooting it against the window. 406 00:27:46,109 --> 00:27:51,714 By 1983, Gary was 15 and really at the height of his success. 407 00:27:51,814 --> 00:27:55,351 -(ALL CHEERING) -GARY: Alright, enough that. Let me eat my bread. 408 00:27:55,451 --> 00:27:57,487 He had a team around him 409 00:27:57,587 --> 00:28:01,357 that became more like a family after a while. 410 00:28:01,457 --> 00:28:03,726 He had myself as his agent. 411 00:28:03,826 --> 00:28:07,797 And my responsibility was his theatrical representation 412 00:28:07,897 --> 00:28:09,832 in negotiating his contracts. 413 00:28:09,932 --> 00:28:11,467 MAN: Do you remember the name of your card? 414 00:28:11,567 --> 00:28:12,535 Ace of Hearts. 415 00:28:12,635 --> 00:28:13,870 -Are you sure? -Yeah. 416 00:28:13,970 --> 00:28:17,373 PERILLO: He had a lawyer, he had a publicist. 417 00:28:17,473 --> 00:28:20,777 And then he had Anita de Thomas, which was the business manager... 418 00:28:20,877 --> 00:28:22,078 -GARY: Anita? -What? 419 00:28:22,111 --> 00:28:24,747 -Where are you? -I'm right here. 420 00:28:24,847 --> 00:28:28,985 ...whose job it was to manage their money. 421 00:28:29,085 --> 00:28:31,287 GARY: Yeah, perfect! 422 00:28:31,387 --> 00:28:34,724 PERILLO: The Colemans became his managers. 423 00:28:36,092 --> 00:28:41,731 Most children are not the employers of their parents. 424 00:28:47,570 --> 00:28:51,174 BRIDGES: The atmosphere changed on the set when Mr. Coleman showed up 425 00:28:51,274 --> 00:28:54,210 and I remember the first thing I heard from him was, 426 00:28:54,310 --> 00:28:57,847 "Look out! Look out! The star is here." 427 00:28:57,947 --> 00:29:00,717 And Gary came in on top of some bodyguard's shoulders. 428 00:29:00,817 --> 00:29:02,452 And I looked at Conrad and he looked at me 429 00:29:02,552 --> 00:29:04,721 and he was like, "Okay, this is gonna change things." 430 00:29:07,256 --> 00:29:09,125 CHANEY: Nobody wanted Willie on the set. 431 00:29:10,226 --> 00:29:12,795 Because he created havoc. 432 00:29:13,429 --> 00:29:14,964 He'd be standing there. 433 00:29:16,265 --> 00:29:18,101 So, everybody knew that Willie was there. 434 00:29:19,836 --> 00:29:23,072 MIAL: He was very vocal 435 00:29:23,172 --> 00:29:27,677 about the fact that his son was the star of the show. 436 00:29:36,452 --> 00:29:39,889 CHANEY: Gary went from being cute to ugly. 437 00:29:39,989 --> 00:29:43,659 He picked up all the ugliness of his dad, 438 00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:46,329 telling people, "Who do you think I am? 439 00:29:46,429 --> 00:29:48,431 "I run this show." 440 00:29:48,531 --> 00:29:51,234 One day, he said, "Come here, JoAnn, let me slap you." 441 00:29:51,934 --> 00:29:53,803 I was like, "Slap me?" 442 00:29:54,537 --> 00:29:56,105 I said, "Boy, if you slap me, 443 00:29:56,139 --> 00:29:58,775 "it'll be the end of Diff'rent Strokesbecause I will beat your ass." 444 00:30:00,676 --> 00:30:03,513 MIAL: And then he became sick again. 445 00:30:03,613 --> 00:30:07,083 The kidney that had been transplanted 446 00:30:07,183 --> 00:30:09,585 was absorbed by the body. 447 00:30:10,520 --> 00:30:14,490 And so, from December 31st of 1985 448 00:30:14,590 --> 00:30:18,428 until his death, Gary lived 449 00:30:18,528 --> 00:30:22,265 with not a single kidney in his body. 450 00:30:26,302 --> 00:30:29,972 He then started on dialysis, 451 00:30:30,073 --> 00:30:33,009 which is going to the hospital 452 00:30:33,109 --> 00:30:35,945 three times a week and sitting at the machine 453 00:30:36,045 --> 00:30:38,014 three to four hours at a time, 454 00:30:38,114 --> 00:30:40,616 while every drop of your blood 455 00:30:40,717 --> 00:30:45,788 is cycled through a machine, cleansing the blood. 456 00:30:45,888 --> 00:30:48,858 And it is very oppressive for most people. 457 00:30:51,794 --> 00:30:56,232 I can recall showing up to set one day, 458 00:30:56,332 --> 00:30:59,102 and Gary was in the middle of a scene, 459 00:31:00,169 --> 00:31:02,839 completed the scene, bent over and threw up. 460 00:31:04,974 --> 00:31:07,243 CHANEY: He spent a lot of time with me. 461 00:31:07,343 --> 00:31:10,813 So the producers were like, "Well, JoAnn, how is Gary doing?" 462 00:31:10,913 --> 00:31:13,850 I said, "Gary is sick." 463 00:31:15,118 --> 00:31:17,120 The studio said, "Okay, 464 00:31:17,186 --> 00:31:20,656 "let's go down for two days until Gary is feeling better." 465 00:31:21,457 --> 00:31:23,159 Willie was huffing and puffing, 466 00:31:23,259 --> 00:31:25,695 and he said, "Who the hell do you think you are? 467 00:31:25,795 --> 00:31:27,630 "Why did you have them cancel the show?" 468 00:31:27,730 --> 00:31:32,502 I said, "Because they asked me how Gary was feeling, 469 00:31:32,602 --> 00:31:34,437 "and I told them he didn't feel good. 470 00:31:35,138 --> 00:31:38,141 "So, sorry if I pissed you off." 471 00:31:38,241 --> 00:31:40,443 BRIDGES: I remember the time when Gary was throwing up. 472 00:31:40,543 --> 00:31:42,211 I overheard Willie, you know, saying, 473 00:31:42,311 --> 00:31:44,280 "You got to get out there and you got to work. You know? 474 00:31:44,380 --> 00:31:46,449 "You got people that depending on you. 475 00:31:46,549 --> 00:31:48,851 "You gotta get out there and do what you gotta do." 476 00:31:48,951 --> 00:31:51,220 I never saw it. As a matter of fact, I saw the opposite. 477 00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:58,161 There was one occasion when Gary was invited to Australia, 478 00:31:58,261 --> 00:32:01,898 for tons of money to do television shows. 479 00:32:01,998 --> 00:32:04,100 And Willie Coleman says, "No, he's not going 480 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:06,335 "because we don't think he's feeling well these days." 481 00:32:06,436 --> 00:32:07,637 And we turned down a fortune. 482 00:32:11,107 --> 00:32:12,108 (WILLIE SPEAKING) 483 00:32:32,562 --> 00:32:35,031 MIAL: When Gary was 17, 484 00:32:35,131 --> 00:32:38,367 as well as his poor health, 485 00:32:38,468 --> 00:32:41,671 he was not comfortable 486 00:32:41,771 --> 00:32:45,308 with the fact that the character of Arnold Jackson 487 00:32:45,408 --> 00:32:50,747 was not aging at the same pace that Gary Coleman was aging. 488 00:32:50,847 --> 00:32:53,249 Don't worry. You get ready, I'll drop you off at school. 489 00:32:53,349 --> 00:32:54,884 Okay, Dad. Thanks. 490 00:32:56,252 --> 00:32:57,453 BRANDSTEIN: They didn't want to change him. 491 00:32:57,553 --> 00:33:01,591 I mean, he was, you know, "We have a golden goose!" 492 00:33:01,691 --> 00:33:04,427 He's the golden goose. He was. 493 00:33:04,527 --> 00:33:07,630 And then that caused him pain, emotionally, I'm sure. 494 00:33:07,730 --> 00:33:11,167 -Are they maturing you in the show? -Not much. 495 00:33:11,267 --> 00:33:12,402 Are you complaining? Like you know? 496 00:33:12,502 --> 00:33:14,504 -Of course. -Yeah. 497 00:33:14,604 --> 00:33:16,239 Not much I can do about it yet. 498 00:33:17,707 --> 00:33:20,376 He was just a meal ticket. 499 00:33:20,476 --> 00:33:21,878 That's how he felt. 500 00:33:21,978 --> 00:33:24,714 "I'm just making money, but I'm not happy." 501 00:33:24,814 --> 00:33:25,915 He wasn't happy. 502 00:33:31,020 --> 00:33:34,223 PERILLO: They didn't think that Gary was happy in the character anymore. 503 00:33:35,525 --> 00:33:37,393 And I think it ran its course. 504 00:33:37,493 --> 00:33:39,662 I bet you're all wondering what I'm doing here. 505 00:33:39,762 --> 00:33:42,131 Yeah. Now beat it. 506 00:33:42,231 --> 00:33:43,933 BRANDSTEIN: The ratings were declining. 507 00:33:44,033 --> 00:33:47,470 I mean, how many times can you deal with the same kind of jokes 508 00:33:47,570 --> 00:33:49,572 or the same kind of energy? 509 00:33:49,672 --> 00:33:51,574 Well, I've had it. I'm quitting. 510 00:33:51,674 --> 00:33:52,675 I'm out of here. 511 00:33:57,580 --> 00:34:02,385 When Diff'rent Strokes was canceled in 1986 512 00:34:02,485 --> 00:34:07,356 Gary was 18 and he was exhausted. 513 00:34:07,457 --> 00:34:08,691 He was spent. 514 00:34:08,791 --> 00:34:10,993 He retreated. 515 00:34:11,094 --> 00:34:15,565 He went into a very deep depression for months. 516 00:34:15,665 --> 00:34:20,169 In fact, he vowed never to work again in the entertainment business. 517 00:34:21,804 --> 00:34:25,541 And no one would accept that. 518 00:34:25,641 --> 00:34:31,114 Not his parents, not an agent, not a business manager, not a lawyer. 519 00:34:31,214 --> 00:34:34,617 And, in fact, there was a very dynamic, 520 00:34:34,717 --> 00:34:38,388 concerted effort to put him back to work 521 00:34:38,488 --> 00:34:41,257 as soon as possible. 522 00:34:41,357 --> 00:34:44,227 Which was primarily spearheaded by his agent, Vic Perillo. 523 00:34:46,796 --> 00:34:50,133 The agent that I had all during Diff'rent Strokes 524 00:34:50,199 --> 00:34:52,468 didn't pressure me until later when I wanted to quit. 525 00:34:53,836 --> 00:34:57,206 When Strokeswent off the air, there were projects, 526 00:34:57,306 --> 00:34:59,375 three of them that I developed for them, you know. 527 00:34:59,475 --> 00:35:02,578 NARRATOR: With Gary on the scene, a crook shouldn't be 528 00:35:02,678 --> 00:35:04,647 PERILLO: He played a little detective, 529 00:35:04,747 --> 00:35:08,584 and they shot the pilot up in Canada. 530 00:35:08,684 --> 00:35:10,486 MIAL: Gary resented that they were still 531 00:35:10,586 --> 00:35:14,924 pursuing opportunities for him when he was clearly expressive 532 00:35:15,091 --> 00:35:19,128 about not wanting to do anything in the entertainment business. 533 00:35:19,228 --> 00:35:21,097 He would say to me, "Why are they doing this? 534 00:35:21,197 --> 00:35:22,598 "Why isn't anybody listening to me?" 535 00:35:29,672 --> 00:35:34,544 About a year later, I was at home and about 10:30 my phone rang. 536 00:35:36,746 --> 00:35:38,114 And it was Gary. 537 00:35:39,682 --> 00:35:44,620 He said, "Well, I just wanted to call you 538 00:35:45,855 --> 00:35:47,290 "to say goodbye. 539 00:35:51,594 --> 00:35:53,229 "I cannot take this anymore. 540 00:35:55,264 --> 00:35:57,133 "It's not worth living. 541 00:35:57,633 --> 00:35:58,735 "I'm gonna kill myself." 542 00:36:03,606 --> 00:36:07,844 I raced over in the deepest fear that anybody could imagine 543 00:36:07,944 --> 00:36:09,579 not knowing what I was going to find. 544 00:36:11,514 --> 00:36:17,487 But he was sitting alone with a keyboard. 545 00:36:17,587 --> 00:36:21,791 And he was just tapping single notes at a time. 546 00:36:31,434 --> 00:36:33,336 We sat and we cried. 547 00:36:35,104 --> 00:36:37,740 And I held him and comforted him. 548 00:36:38,808 --> 00:36:41,110 And just let him weep. 549 00:36:41,144 --> 00:36:45,648 And I concluded, you know, "You don't deserve this. 550 00:36:45,748 --> 00:36:48,284 "You don't deserve to go through this. 551 00:36:49,352 --> 00:36:53,489 "And you do deserve to take a break. To get away, 552 00:36:53,589 --> 00:36:57,326 "to unfamiliar people, unfamiliar places." 553 00:36:57,427 --> 00:37:00,296 And that was when the discussion came up about Hawaii. 554 00:37:03,566 --> 00:37:05,068 GARY: You're getting everything I already got. 555 00:37:09,205 --> 00:37:12,442 We jumped on a plane and off to Hawaii we went. 556 00:37:21,484 --> 00:37:25,788 He began to ask very specific questions about his money. 557 00:37:27,090 --> 00:37:28,591 What did I know? 558 00:37:29,492 --> 00:37:32,929 I very clearly expressed to him 559 00:37:33,096 --> 00:37:36,999 that I felt that some of his businesspeople in his life. 560 00:37:37,100 --> 00:37:39,569 were completely insincere, 561 00:37:41,237 --> 00:37:43,272 that they were duplicitous with him. 562 00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:47,977 Because I heard very frequently, 563 00:37:48,611 --> 00:37:50,113 "Gary's a little jerk. 564 00:37:50,146 --> 00:37:52,248 "Thank God he pays us a great salary." 565 00:37:53,583 --> 00:37:56,986 Just horrible things that left nothing 566 00:37:57,120 --> 00:38:00,156 to the imagination about how they really felt. 567 00:38:01,157 --> 00:38:02,325 GARY: I wasn't getting it. 568 00:38:02,425 --> 00:38:05,795 I just wasn't getting it, until I finally just said, 569 00:38:05,895 --> 00:38:08,865 You know, "Enough of all you people. 570 00:38:08,965 --> 00:38:10,533 "I'm sick of all you people. 571 00:38:10,633 --> 00:38:13,469 "I don't want to hear from any more of you people. 572 00:38:13,569 --> 00:38:15,238 "I want an accounting. I want it now." 573 00:38:15,338 --> 00:38:18,808 Eventually, it came to a point where 574 00:38:18,908 --> 00:38:21,411 Gary terminated his business relationship 575 00:38:22,111 --> 00:38:24,113 with his entire team of handlers 576 00:38:24,213 --> 00:38:25,348 and his parents. 577 00:38:35,725 --> 00:38:38,227 I kind of expected the call to come in, 578 00:38:38,327 --> 00:38:40,763 because he was letting everybody go. 579 00:38:42,098 --> 00:38:44,200 He let Anita de Thomas go. 580 00:38:44,300 --> 00:38:46,002 He let his publicists go. 581 00:38:46,102 --> 00:38:47,937 And then I was the last. 582 00:38:49,205 --> 00:38:50,973 I said, "Gary, this isn't going to be good for you 583 00:38:51,107 --> 00:38:52,942 "and it's not going to be good for me." 584 00:38:54,110 --> 00:38:56,879 There was a silence at the end of the phone, you know. 585 00:38:56,979 --> 00:39:00,183 I'm sure he was influenced by people 586 00:39:00,283 --> 00:39:05,588 to get Mrs. de Thomas away from the finances 587 00:39:05,688 --> 00:39:07,857 and get us away from him. 588 00:39:07,957 --> 00:39:11,561 Dion will always be my lifelong mentor, 589 00:39:11,661 --> 00:39:13,796 a lifesaver more than twice. 590 00:39:13,896 --> 00:39:17,567 And he's the one that opened my eyes to the rest of my life. 591 00:39:17,667 --> 00:39:19,168 STERN: Right. 592 00:39:19,268 --> 00:39:26,309 I think that Dion had a wonderful relationship with Gary at the beginning. 593 00:39:26,409 --> 00:39:31,280 But I think that he convinced himself that Gary needed people around him 594 00:39:31,381 --> 00:39:36,519 that would take care of him and that we were all beasts. 595 00:39:36,619 --> 00:39:39,422 And it couldn't be the farthest from the truth. 596 00:39:40,123 --> 00:39:42,325 -To Dion. -To Gary. 597 00:39:53,603 --> 00:39:55,938 -Best friends. -Best friends. 598 00:39:56,105 --> 00:40:00,543 -Best luck. Best Money. -Ha. Scary. 599 00:40:17,693 --> 00:40:20,630 MIAL: I became Gary's business manager 600 00:40:20,730 --> 00:40:24,434 in late 1987. 601 00:40:24,534 --> 00:40:26,769 I think even Dion was inspired to say, 602 00:40:26,869 --> 00:40:29,906 "Hey, listen, you're hanging out with a big child star. 603 00:40:30,006 --> 00:40:32,942 "Why don't you move in and become his manager." 604 00:40:34,911 --> 00:40:37,880 I did not have any intention of riding 605 00:40:37,980 --> 00:40:42,018 the coattails of Gary Coleman, and I didn't need to. 606 00:40:42,118 --> 00:40:45,421 I came from a family that was successful. 607 00:40:45,521 --> 00:40:47,423 I didn't need Gary for money. 608 00:40:49,058 --> 00:40:52,195 I received the job based upon the trust 609 00:40:52,295 --> 00:40:56,532 that was well established in my relationship with him. 610 00:40:56,632 --> 00:41:02,839 That was not part of a long term plan, and it scared me out of my mind. 611 00:41:03,573 --> 00:41:04,841 I'm glad we pulled it off. 612 00:41:04,941 --> 00:41:06,442 I hope you're happy. 613 00:41:06,542 --> 00:41:07,877 Maybe we should do this again next year. 614 00:41:07,977 --> 00:41:10,213 And I'll pay for it. 615 00:41:10,980 --> 00:41:14,117 Maybe. Bye. 616 00:41:16,119 --> 00:41:17,920 For two years, 617 00:41:18,020 --> 00:41:22,892 there were deep investigations into Gary's finances. 618 00:41:24,560 --> 00:41:27,263 When I first met Gary, it was at an invitation, 619 00:41:27,363 --> 00:41:32,268 to become part of the legal team that was investigating his finances 620 00:41:32,368 --> 00:41:37,306 and his business relationships with his entire management team. 621 00:41:37,407 --> 00:41:41,444 What we found out almost immediately was that he'd earned over $18,000,000 622 00:41:41,544 --> 00:41:47,216 in fees as an actor, and most of the money was going to people that weren't Gary. 623 00:41:47,316 --> 00:41:49,385 REPORTER: His parents became his personal managers 624 00:41:49,485 --> 00:41:52,388 and took the biggest cut, 20%. 625 00:41:52,488 --> 00:41:54,657 His agent, Vic Perillo, 10%. 626 00:41:54,757 --> 00:41:58,628 His business manager, Anita de Thomas, was taking 5%. 627 00:41:58,728 --> 00:42:01,697 His two lawyers were taking 7.5%. 628 00:42:01,798 --> 00:42:07,236 So even before taxes, almost half of Gary Coleman's earnings were gone. 629 00:42:07,336 --> 00:42:12,108 RYCE: These were professional fees, which were industry standard and legal. 630 00:42:12,175 --> 00:42:16,446 REPORTER: One piece was supposed to be set aside for Gary Coleman alone. 631 00:42:16,546 --> 00:42:21,117 California law required that 25% of his income go into a blocked account. 632 00:42:21,150 --> 00:42:24,320 The blocked account is administered by the court. 633 00:42:24,420 --> 00:42:28,958 And it's supposed to just go into a standard savings account 634 00:42:29,125 --> 00:42:32,228 and just sits there until he turns 18. 635 00:42:32,328 --> 00:42:34,363 But what our investigation showed 636 00:42:34,464 --> 00:42:38,401 was that, again and again, Anita de Thomas and the Colemans 637 00:42:38,501 --> 00:42:43,005 would go into court and petition to have large sums of Gary's money 638 00:42:43,139 --> 00:42:47,377 taken out of the safe, blocked accounts and placed into investments. 639 00:42:47,477 --> 00:42:50,146 REPORTER: Millions were put into complex real estate deals. 640 00:42:50,213 --> 00:42:54,317 An office building in Denver, this strip mall in Colorado Springs, 641 00:42:54,417 --> 00:42:56,786 and this building in Salt Lake City. 642 00:42:56,886 --> 00:42:59,188 All of the investments failed. 643 00:42:59,288 --> 00:43:02,592 Every investment was 100% loss. All gone. 644 00:43:06,095 --> 00:43:07,897 PERILLO: Sue Coleman put her trust in people 645 00:43:07,997 --> 00:43:11,300 that were representing Gary, like Anita de Thomas. 646 00:43:11,401 --> 00:43:13,970 So if they said, "This is a good investment for him 647 00:43:14,103 --> 00:43:18,107 "and this is a good investment for him," she took their word for it. 648 00:43:18,174 --> 00:43:20,877 And then we discovered something even worse. 649 00:43:23,946 --> 00:43:25,982 RYCE: There was a series of loans and overpayments 650 00:43:26,115 --> 00:43:29,385 from the blocked account that went to the parents 651 00:43:29,485 --> 00:43:32,121 and Anita de Thomas, who said, "Oh, no, 652 00:43:32,155 --> 00:43:33,122 "that was a gift. 653 00:43:33,222 --> 00:43:34,791 "Gary never meant us to pay that back. 654 00:43:34,891 --> 00:43:35,892 "It was always a gift." 655 00:43:38,227 --> 00:43:39,195 It's even worse than that. 656 00:43:39,295 --> 00:43:41,898 They took money out of the blocked account 657 00:43:41,998 --> 00:43:45,435 and placed it into a pension fund in Gary's name. 658 00:43:45,535 --> 00:43:47,737 And then dissolved the pension fund, 659 00:43:47,837 --> 00:43:51,874 and took $770,000 of what had been Gary's money 660 00:43:51,974 --> 00:43:54,644 and gave it to themselves as recipients of the pension fund. 661 00:43:55,611 --> 00:43:56,813 INTERVIEWER: Is that legal? 662 00:43:56,913 --> 00:43:58,181 No, it's not legal. 663 00:43:58,281 --> 00:43:59,649 I mean, none of this is legal. 664 00:43:59,749 --> 00:44:01,651 I mean, certainly none of it is moral. 665 00:44:01,751 --> 00:44:04,087 It's a direct lift of money from Gary 666 00:44:04,120 --> 00:44:05,488 to themselves. 667 00:44:05,588 --> 00:44:09,659 I was not aware that money was going to be taken 668 00:44:09,759 --> 00:44:15,198 out of his blocked account to be put into a pension plan for us. 669 00:44:15,298 --> 00:44:17,834 Did you get paid the three quarters of a million? 670 00:44:17,934 --> 00:44:19,102 Not that we know of. 671 00:44:23,239 --> 00:44:25,908 MIAL: We went over to his parents' house together, 672 00:44:27,410 --> 00:44:30,246 and began to explain the findings. 673 00:44:32,949 --> 00:44:38,354 It rolled right off of them like water off of a duck's back. 674 00:44:40,623 --> 00:44:45,128 At one point, Willie said, "We are your parents. 675 00:44:45,161 --> 00:44:49,465 "Absolutely nothing is wrong with your business affairs. 676 00:44:49,565 --> 00:44:50,566 "Nothing at all." 677 00:44:52,869 --> 00:44:59,642 Gary felt not only betrayed but completely abandoned 678 00:45:01,077 --> 00:45:05,481 by the people who were closest to him, 679 00:45:05,581 --> 00:45:06,716 his parents. 680 00:45:08,584 --> 00:45:10,553 Gary was left with no choice 681 00:45:10,653 --> 00:45:14,724 but to file a lawsuit against his then business manager, 682 00:45:14,824 --> 00:45:18,127 Anita De Thomas, and his parents, Willie and Sue. 683 00:45:30,440 --> 00:45:33,209 As the litigation progressed, 684 00:45:33,309 --> 00:45:36,479 Willie and Sue felt that it was necessary 685 00:45:36,579 --> 00:45:38,915 to file a petition to have him conserved. 686 00:45:40,583 --> 00:45:41,784 Gary was 22. 687 00:45:43,352 --> 00:45:46,989 The Colemans made representations to the court that Gary could not handle 688 00:45:47,123 --> 00:45:51,961 his own business affairs, that the court should intervene. 689 00:45:52,128 --> 00:45:55,298 And that's a very ugly thing to do to your child in public. 690 00:45:55,398 --> 00:46:00,369 My concern was that with his medical condition 691 00:46:00,470 --> 00:46:05,174 and all the things that goes on with him 692 00:46:05,274 --> 00:46:08,478 that can affect the way he thinks. 693 00:46:08,578 --> 00:46:15,084 And then to have people zeroing in on him and confusing him, 694 00:46:15,151 --> 00:46:19,722 I'm just concerned that he'd... do things irrationally. 695 00:46:23,092 --> 00:46:26,596 RYCE: The conservatorship case is a very concerted 696 00:46:26,696 --> 00:46:29,432 and expensive attempt to hide the truth 697 00:46:29,532 --> 00:46:32,468 because the public is told that Gary can't handle himself. 698 00:46:32,568 --> 00:46:35,905 Okay. And If he can't handle himself, 699 00:46:36,005 --> 00:46:38,641 then the lawsuits and investigations 700 00:46:38,741 --> 00:46:40,777 against them end. 701 00:46:41,978 --> 00:46:44,480 MIAL: Gary was absolutely livid. 702 00:46:44,580 --> 00:46:48,284 He was embarrassed that someone would make 703 00:46:48,384 --> 00:46:51,287 such a claim before the world. 704 00:46:53,423 --> 00:46:55,258 There was the first hearing 705 00:46:55,358 --> 00:46:57,293 with Judge Martha Goldin. 706 00:46:58,261 --> 00:47:00,096 The parents remained 707 00:47:00,196 --> 00:47:04,901 on one side of the courtroom, and Gary was on the opposite side. 708 00:47:06,102 --> 00:47:10,606 And this judge was savvy enough 709 00:47:10,706 --> 00:47:15,078 to call Gary back into her chambers 710 00:47:16,279 --> 00:47:19,348 and have a private meeting with him. 711 00:47:21,918 --> 00:47:27,256 And she emerged to scold his parents. 712 00:47:27,356 --> 00:47:32,195 Mr. Coleman does not come close 713 00:47:33,730 --> 00:47:37,800 to requiring a conservator. 714 00:47:38,434 --> 00:47:39,469 Thank you, Your Honor. 715 00:47:43,639 --> 00:47:46,142 REPORTER: Where do you think things went wrong between you and Gary? 716 00:47:46,242 --> 00:47:49,245 I don't think anything has gone wrong between me and Gary. 717 00:47:49,345 --> 00:47:52,115 Do you feel he's just receiving poor advice? Is that what you're saying? 718 00:47:52,148 --> 00:47:53,149 That's my opinion. 719 00:47:54,484 --> 00:47:56,753 After nearly three full years 720 00:47:56,853 --> 00:48:00,490 of litigation, Gary went back into court. 721 00:48:02,425 --> 00:48:04,394 RYCE: When we finally got to the trial, 722 00:48:04,494 --> 00:48:07,063 the judge did everything the judge could do, 723 00:48:07,096 --> 00:48:12,068 which was find that $1.3 million had been taken out of the accounts falsely 724 00:48:12,135 --> 00:48:14,704 and was therefore owed. 725 00:48:14,804 --> 00:48:16,172 And that was his judgement. 726 00:48:16,272 --> 00:48:19,175 A California judge bought Coleman's argument 727 00:48:19,275 --> 00:48:22,879 that the 25-year-old actor's parents and business advisers 728 00:48:22,979 --> 00:48:24,480 skimmed some of his earnings. 729 00:48:24,580 --> 00:48:26,582 The court said the money 730 00:48:26,682 --> 00:48:32,155 that had been appropriated for our pension, 731 00:48:32,255 --> 00:48:37,660 for our savings should be returned to him. 732 00:48:37,760 --> 00:48:42,098 And I said, "Rather than go through this... 733 00:48:45,635 --> 00:48:46,803 "take it." 734 00:48:48,104 --> 00:48:51,140 RYCE: During the courts and in interviews afterwards, 735 00:48:51,240 --> 00:48:52,909 the parents would say... 736 00:48:53,009 --> 00:48:54,577 "I'm not a bookkeeper, 737 00:48:54,677 --> 00:48:56,379 "I was not an accountant. 738 00:48:56,479 --> 00:48:58,614 "I didn't handle any finances or anything. 739 00:48:58,715 --> 00:49:02,452 "All we did was sign documents and gave our approval." 740 00:49:03,086 --> 00:49:04,087 (INTERVIEWER SPEAKING) 741 00:49:24,574 --> 00:49:27,076 RYCE: At the beginning, it's a couple of befuddled people from Chicago 742 00:49:27,143 --> 00:49:28,611 who didn't know how to handle 743 00:49:28,711 --> 00:49:32,281 the sharp business managers that you run across in LA, 744 00:49:35,118 --> 00:49:37,687 but at the end, I just cannot imagine 745 00:49:37,787 --> 00:49:40,890 how you cannot notice all the money being drained 746 00:49:40,990 --> 00:49:44,594 out of the accounts and gone, especially when you're getting it. 747 00:49:44,694 --> 00:49:51,267 I do believe that they became aware that, "Yes, some things were really wrong. 748 00:49:51,367 --> 00:49:57,240 "But we didn't deliberately engage in this behavior 749 00:49:57,340 --> 00:50:01,644 "to consciously and deliberately harm our son." 750 00:50:02,912 --> 00:50:07,183 I would never represent that that was their intention. 751 00:50:07,283 --> 00:50:11,020 However, once being educated about what had happened, 752 00:50:11,120 --> 00:50:13,523 they continued to refuse to admit it. 753 00:50:14,957 --> 00:50:18,895 Over the years, I would try and talk to them about certain suspicions 754 00:50:18,995 --> 00:50:24,167 and things in my professional career, and they just they either turned 755 00:50:24,267 --> 00:50:26,369 a deaf ear or they didn't want to hear it. 756 00:50:26,469 --> 00:50:28,604 Or they just didn't support me. 757 00:50:28,704 --> 00:50:33,242 And I have taken that very deeply to heart 758 00:50:33,342 --> 00:50:36,245 and I resent it, and it still bothers me today. 759 00:50:36,345 --> 00:50:39,348 And there's nothing I can do about that feeling because it's the truth. 760 00:50:39,449 --> 00:50:40,750 It's honest. 761 00:50:41,918 --> 00:50:42,919 (WILLIE SPEAKING) 762 00:51:09,178 --> 00:51:11,414 It separated Gary from his parents, 763 00:51:11,514 --> 00:51:15,318 to the point where even if he wanted to talk to them, he couldn't. 764 00:51:17,453 --> 00:51:20,123 It's very sad. It's very sad. 765 00:51:21,290 --> 00:51:23,659 That was a tough time for us. 766 00:51:24,427 --> 00:51:25,695 It was really tough. 767 00:51:25,795 --> 00:51:29,132 But we let him know that we were always, that we were home. 768 00:51:29,232 --> 00:51:31,534 And, "Your room is still here. 769 00:51:31,634 --> 00:51:33,936 "Anytime you want to come home, come home." 770 00:51:34,904 --> 00:51:36,906 Gary always, you know, would tell me, 771 00:51:37,006 --> 00:51:39,976 "Don't give my parents my phone number. 772 00:51:40,143 --> 00:51:41,310 "Do not give it to them." 773 00:51:41,411 --> 00:51:43,646 And I remember one time, Willie called me, 774 00:51:43,746 --> 00:51:46,849 He says, (MIMICS WILLIE) "Todd, can you have Gary call me?" 775 00:51:46,949 --> 00:51:48,951 I went, "No," click and I hung up. 776 00:51:57,660 --> 00:52:02,899 Gary told me that he started having financial issues when he was 18, 777 00:52:02,999 --> 00:52:06,536 and that's why I never really had any interest to meet his parents. 778 00:52:08,237 --> 00:52:11,140 Because you don't just take advantage of someone like that. 779 00:52:13,943 --> 00:52:16,279 -INTERVIEWER: Who's on your lap? -This is Autumn. 780 00:52:18,347 --> 00:52:20,216 She's my fun little rescue puppy. 781 00:52:23,720 --> 00:52:24,721 She's very lovable. 782 00:52:26,522 --> 00:52:28,758 I was friends with Gary in Santaquin, 783 00:52:28,858 --> 00:52:32,028 and the first thing he said to me was, "All she wants is money." 784 00:52:33,596 --> 00:52:35,131 But then there wasn't any. 785 00:52:36,833 --> 00:52:38,534 Shannon took me out to a closet 786 00:52:38,634 --> 00:52:42,705 and there was a stack of photos of him. 787 00:52:44,407 --> 00:52:50,947 She was grabbing them, so that he could autograph and sell them. 788 00:52:51,047 --> 00:52:56,152 And that's the very first time I'd seen her explode on him 789 00:52:56,219 --> 00:52:58,020 because she couldn't find these pictures. 790 00:52:59,889 --> 00:53:05,194 I think the best word to describe their relationship, in my view, was tumultuous. 791 00:53:05,294 --> 00:53:06,662 It was all over the place. 792 00:53:07,997 --> 00:53:10,366 Sometimes they'd be happy and joking. 793 00:53:11,768 --> 00:53:15,238 And on the flip of a dime, it would become raging, 794 00:53:15,338 --> 00:53:19,675 yelling, demeaning, and disparaging. 795 00:53:19,776 --> 00:53:23,679 I would say that they fought mainly about money, 796 00:53:25,648 --> 00:53:28,251 because Gary constantly needed money and work. 797 00:53:29,185 --> 00:53:31,421 And there was not a lot of work 798 00:53:32,555 --> 00:53:33,923 in Utah for him. 799 00:53:35,024 --> 00:53:38,027 She constantly wanted him to go make the money. 800 00:53:39,028 --> 00:53:40,463 "Call this person, call that person. 801 00:53:40,563 --> 00:53:42,131 "Do this." 802 00:53:42,231 --> 00:53:44,634 He just always felt like he was a paycheck. 803 00:53:46,469 --> 00:53:52,141 PRICE: He put a $17,000 down payment on my car, almost paid my car off. 804 00:53:52,241 --> 00:53:54,544 But, you know, a lot of people just stick their hand out. 805 00:53:54,644 --> 00:53:56,345 They want your money. They want your fame. 806 00:53:57,680 --> 00:53:59,048 And I wasn't like that at all. 807 00:54:01,084 --> 00:54:02,785 All you care about is the money. 808 00:54:03,586 --> 00:54:05,521 That's all you want. 809 00:54:05,621 --> 00:54:08,491 The love for Gary keeps fading away 810 00:54:08,591 --> 00:54:11,260 because you believe that Gary 811 00:54:11,360 --> 00:54:13,429 doesn't want to support you. 812 00:54:13,529 --> 00:54:15,131 But how are the bills going to get paid? 813 00:54:15,231 --> 00:54:19,802 You don't pay the bills without me making some kind of money. 814 00:54:19,902 --> 00:54:23,306 If we were in an argument, you know, cuss words obviously get brought up. 815 00:54:23,406 --> 00:54:26,109 And a couple of times we were both like, "F you." 816 00:54:26,142 --> 00:54:27,310 And he's like, "You're a bitch." 817 00:54:27,410 --> 00:54:28,644 And I'm like, "You're an asshole." 818 00:54:28,745 --> 00:54:30,113 So, you know. 819 00:54:30,146 --> 00:54:31,781 Just stuff like that. 820 00:54:31,881 --> 00:54:33,116 It was just constant. 821 00:54:33,182 --> 00:54:36,753 It was just every day, her doing something, 822 00:54:36,853 --> 00:54:40,156 her creating some situation, her creating drama, 823 00:54:41,157 --> 00:54:43,025 demeaning his manhood, 824 00:54:43,126 --> 00:54:47,663 demeaning his size, sometimes calling him a failure. 825 00:54:47,764 --> 00:54:50,933 I mean, sometimes she'd just come right out and say, "I hate you, Gary." 826 00:54:51,033 --> 00:54:53,302 And it was disturbing. 827 00:54:53,403 --> 00:54:56,939 We had a talk about their relationship on a few occasions, 828 00:54:57,039 --> 00:55:02,412 and we talked about how he said that, "She's my soul mate." 829 00:55:03,413 --> 00:55:06,816 And I said, "Gary, love is not enough. 830 00:55:07,984 --> 00:55:10,953 "And the way she respects you is not the kind of respect 831 00:55:11,087 --> 00:55:12,922 "that you would want to have in a relationship." 832 00:55:13,089 --> 00:55:17,860 I was always optimistic that he was going to one day come to me and say, "I'm done. 833 00:55:19,095 --> 00:55:20,563 "I just, I need her gone. 834 00:55:20,663 --> 00:55:22,231 "I need her out of my life." 835 00:55:24,267 --> 00:55:28,738 So I was sad for him that he didn't get to that point. 836 00:55:34,844 --> 00:55:37,113 Yeah, that switch right there. 837 00:55:39,949 --> 00:55:43,486 Oh, it's cushy. (CHUCKLES) 838 00:55:52,795 --> 00:55:57,400 Back in October 1997, I was working at this location 839 00:55:57,500 --> 00:55:59,969 for a chain of video rental shops. 840 00:56:04,373 --> 00:56:07,143 I was filing movies back in the main library 841 00:56:07,243 --> 00:56:09,445 and I heard this voice say, 842 00:56:09,545 --> 00:56:12,682 "Excuse me, miss. Could you help me find a movie, please?" 843 00:56:14,450 --> 00:56:15,852 And I turned and I looked. 844 00:56:15,952 --> 00:56:19,589 And it was Gary (BLEEP) Coleman. Wow! 845 00:56:22,258 --> 00:56:24,961 This is where I had my car parked that night, 846 00:56:25,094 --> 00:56:28,498 and I came out at 1:00 in the morning 847 00:56:28,598 --> 00:56:33,269 and I found Gary Coleman sitting on the hood of my car like a giant hood ornament. 848 00:56:33,369 --> 00:56:35,705 And then I said, "What are you doing here?" 849 00:56:35,805 --> 00:56:37,940 "It's four hours later. What are you doing here?" 850 00:56:38,107 --> 00:56:42,512 And he said, "I was waiting for you." (CHUCKLES) 851 00:56:42,612 --> 00:56:46,549 We exchanged numbers and talked a little, and then I drove back home. 852 00:56:46,649 --> 00:56:50,887 As soon as I got there, I rang the number he'd given me and it really was him. 853 00:56:50,987 --> 00:56:55,358 And we spent the next six hours on the phone. 854 00:56:55,458 --> 00:57:00,196 So, yeah, the friendship really just blew up. It was instant. 855 00:57:00,296 --> 00:57:03,299 It was like a big bang of friendship. (CHUCKLES) 856 00:57:05,234 --> 00:57:09,505 After a few weeks, I pretty much just moved in. 857 00:57:09,605 --> 00:57:13,543 He was living on the fourth floor of these apartments in Culver City. 858 00:57:14,210 --> 00:57:17,880 Eventually we were an item. 859 00:57:19,749 --> 00:57:23,252 Gary and I were a couple for six and a half years, 860 00:57:24,887 --> 00:57:29,625 but he had no interest in the physical act of sex. 861 00:57:29,726 --> 00:57:32,295 I'm reading your bio. It says you are a virgin. 862 00:57:32,395 --> 00:57:36,766 Yes, still to this day, because I was not endowed with that, 863 00:57:36,866 --> 00:57:41,237 "Go! Go! Conquer every woman" libido that every man has. 864 00:57:41,337 --> 00:57:42,572 -Right. -I don't have that. 865 00:57:43,372 --> 00:57:45,241 But he was very romantic. 866 00:57:45,341 --> 00:57:49,512 So, yeah, he loved to hold hands and kiss and snuggle. 867 00:57:49,612 --> 00:57:53,015 And he really showed a lot of affection. 868 00:57:54,183 --> 00:57:56,152 MIAL: One of the most challenging things 869 00:57:56,252 --> 00:58:01,724 that I had to deal with as Gary's manager at that time 870 00:58:01,824 --> 00:58:04,394 was, you know, getting the work. 871 00:58:05,528 --> 00:58:09,465 Gary did feel a renewal in spirit. 872 00:58:09,565 --> 00:58:16,239 He had this desire to be part of the entertainment industry once again, 873 00:58:17,540 --> 00:58:21,077 but he was still 4'8" 874 00:58:21,110 --> 00:58:24,347 and Gary loved action adventure movies. 875 00:58:25,982 --> 00:58:26,949 Rambo. 876 00:58:27,083 --> 00:58:30,720 You know, he wanted to play a superhero. 877 00:58:32,388 --> 00:58:36,659 And there were no roles for Gary Coleman as a superhero. 878 00:58:37,493 --> 00:58:38,795 He wanted to play a cop. 879 00:58:38,895 --> 00:58:42,432 He wanted to play a larger-than-life villain. 880 00:58:43,900 --> 00:58:47,837 I'm 31 years old. "Wholesome" must die. 881 00:58:47,937 --> 00:58:51,107 Otherwise, I'll never be able to do any cool bad guys. 882 00:58:51,207 --> 00:58:56,012 I'll never be able to do any cool characters of any depth ever 883 00:58:56,112 --> 00:58:59,615 because people are still thinking of me as Arnold on Diff'rent Strokes. 884 00:58:59,716 --> 00:59:00,717 We're not having that. 885 00:59:03,186 --> 00:59:07,056 -This looks like a great place, Arnold. -Yeah. Willis would love it. 886 00:59:09,058 --> 00:59:13,796 Yeah, that is, if he wouldn't mind living over a haunted Indian burial ground. 887 00:59:13,896 --> 00:59:17,400 GRAY: He was just getting piecemeal work, tidbits here and there, 888 00:59:17,500 --> 00:59:21,637 and people still wanted him to do Strokes-related stuff. 889 00:59:21,738 --> 00:59:23,439 You hear the wailing of the dead. 890 00:59:24,240 --> 00:59:25,508 (WAILING) 891 00:59:27,543 --> 00:59:29,312 Whatchu' talkin' bout, Will? 892 00:59:31,447 --> 00:59:35,151 People didn't want Gary. They wanted Arnold Jackson. 893 00:59:35,251 --> 00:59:36,919 That was common. 894 00:59:37,086 --> 00:59:40,256 They might not let you in because the only black person they respect is Ted Danson. 895 00:59:42,525 --> 00:59:44,394 Whatchu' talkin' about, Bundy? 896 00:59:45,762 --> 00:59:49,932 Gary absolutely despised that catchphrase. 897 00:59:50,099 --> 00:59:52,101 He called it "the line." 898 00:59:52,168 --> 00:59:54,270 I'm not saying "that line." 899 00:59:54,370 --> 00:59:55,371 Whatchu talking about, Gary? 900 01:00:01,244 --> 01:00:06,449 I mean, just walking down the street, he would have people run up on him. 901 01:00:06,549 --> 01:00:09,385 "Yo, yo yo, he's got to say it! He's got to say it!" 902 01:00:09,485 --> 01:00:13,022 They would just, people treated him like he was a penny arcade, 903 01:00:13,122 --> 01:00:16,726 like they could just stick a penny in him and get a good show. 904 01:00:16,826 --> 01:00:19,562 I was wondering if you'd say your famous line for us. 905 01:00:19,662 --> 01:00:21,097 I knew that was coming. 906 01:00:21,197 --> 01:00:22,865 I'm sorry. 907 01:00:22,965 --> 01:00:24,167 -You know... -You don't have to do it. 908 01:00:24,267 --> 01:00:25,768 You don't have to do it. I already did it. 909 01:00:25,868 --> 01:00:27,503 No, it's not that I wouldn't do it, 910 01:00:27,603 --> 01:00:29,505 it's that, I don't have it in me. 911 01:00:29,605 --> 01:00:31,908 I can't, it sounds ridiculous when I do it. 912 01:00:32,008 --> 01:00:33,009 I'm sorry. 913 01:00:34,677 --> 01:00:39,515 Quite often, child actors don't go forward in their careers. 914 01:00:39,615 --> 01:00:41,684 Some of them aren't talented enough. 915 01:00:41,784 --> 01:00:45,755 Some of them are labeled too strongly with the character they played. 916 01:00:45,855 --> 01:00:51,394 -Please welcome Todd Bridges, Dana Plato and Gary Coleman! -(AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) 917 01:00:56,232 --> 01:00:59,836 Gary and Todd and Dana after Diff'rent Strokes 918 01:00:59,936 --> 01:01:03,005 struggled with where their career was going. 919 01:01:07,276 --> 01:01:08,945 (ALL LAUGHING) 920 01:01:16,552 --> 01:01:20,423 Todd and Dana became involved in drugs and alcohol. 921 01:01:20,523 --> 01:01:24,927 Former child star Todd Bridges is in trouble with the law once again. 922 01:01:25,027 --> 01:01:27,897 Bridges was arrested yesterday in California for having drugs 923 01:01:27,997 --> 01:01:30,633 and a loaded handgun in his car. 924 01:01:30,733 --> 01:01:33,703 They had bets on us in Vegas, who would die first. 925 01:01:33,803 --> 01:01:36,839 People lost a lot of money on me, you know, because I'm still here. 926 01:01:36,939 --> 01:01:40,476 After a troubled career, child actress Dana Plato has died. 927 01:01:42,145 --> 01:01:44,213 Known for her role on Diff'rent Strokes, 928 01:01:44,313 --> 01:01:48,251 Plato died Saturday of an overdose just days after denying she used drugs. 929 01:01:48,351 --> 01:01:50,920 Dana Plato was 34 years old. 930 01:01:52,455 --> 01:01:56,192 It's a tough thing to be famous and be so young. 931 01:01:57,360 --> 01:02:00,696 So much fame, so much opportunity. 932 01:02:00,797 --> 01:02:06,402 Kids have power when they are in that position, and it's unreal. 933 01:02:06,502 --> 01:02:10,973 So you leave behind your power and suddenly you feel terrible, 934 01:02:11,107 --> 01:02:15,244 because now you have to really struggle to be like a regular kid. 935 01:02:15,344 --> 01:02:21,818 If someone had've told me that my life would have been like this 936 01:02:21,918 --> 01:02:24,220 early enough where I could have got out, I would have got out. 937 01:02:24,320 --> 01:02:27,523 I'd say, "No, you know, I want to go and have a normal life 938 01:02:27,623 --> 01:02:29,859 "and have friends." 939 01:02:29,959 --> 01:02:32,895 Twenty years ago, I made millions and millions on TV. 940 01:02:32,995 --> 01:02:36,399 The sad part is the people who took care of the money spent it. 941 01:02:36,499 --> 01:02:39,736 Recently, I needed some cash, fast. 942 01:02:39,836 --> 01:02:44,307 GRAY: Gary needed work. He wasn't getting enough TV work to live on, 943 01:02:44,407 --> 01:02:47,143 so times were very tough for him. 944 01:02:47,243 --> 01:02:49,645 CashCall was there when I needed them. 945 01:02:49,746 --> 01:02:51,447 I work because I like to work. 946 01:02:51,547 --> 01:02:53,883 If I'm working as a security guard 947 01:02:53,983 --> 01:02:55,918 or I'm flipping burgers or bagging groceries, 948 01:02:56,018 --> 01:02:58,988 -it's because I enjoy working. -(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) 949 01:03:03,659 --> 01:03:09,098 One of his dream jobs as a little boy had been to be a cop. 950 01:03:09,132 --> 01:03:14,103 So Gar was so ecstatic when he had finally become a security guard. 951 01:03:14,170 --> 01:03:19,809 Becoming a security guard was Gary's way of fulfilling that fantasy, 952 01:03:19,909 --> 01:03:24,013 of being an action hero, playing a cop, being a cop. 953 01:03:24,113 --> 01:03:27,617 GRAY: He was so proud. He was just crowing. 954 01:03:27,717 --> 01:03:31,621 And then being a security guard went wrong for him. 955 01:03:31,721 --> 01:03:34,991 Former child actor Gary Coleman faces assault charges. 956 01:03:40,997 --> 01:03:44,367 The 4'7" Coleman now works as a security guard. 957 01:03:44,467 --> 01:03:46,769 He surrendered to police in Hawthorne, California, 958 01:03:46,869 --> 01:03:50,473 after allegedly punching an autograph-seeker. 959 01:03:50,573 --> 01:03:54,510 GRAY: He was going to the security store to get a bulletproof vest 960 01:03:54,610 --> 01:03:56,512 and out of nowhere... 961 01:03:56,612 --> 01:04:00,950 "Gary Coleman! Gary Coleman! Can I get an autograph?" 962 01:04:01,084 --> 01:04:03,920 And he walked over and gave it to her and she was like, 963 01:04:04,087 --> 01:04:05,221 "Well, can you write down something nice?" 964 01:04:05,321 --> 01:04:07,156 She says, "Well, can you put a little more?" 965 01:04:07,256 --> 01:04:10,660 You know, just add a little something, like "good luck" or something. 966 01:04:10,760 --> 01:04:13,096 He took it and ripped it up and was like, "Well, for what? 967 01:04:13,162 --> 01:04:14,664 "You know, this doesn't mean anything." 968 01:04:14,764 --> 01:04:18,801 She had this hurt look in her face. She says, "No, I want it for my son." 969 01:04:18,901 --> 01:04:20,169 And she was like, "Well, I can see why 970 01:04:20,269 --> 01:04:23,106 "you didn't make it as an adult actor, just a child actor," 971 01:04:23,172 --> 01:04:25,975 and that must have set him off because he walked up to her 972 01:04:26,109 --> 01:04:27,410 and literally punched her in the eye. 973 01:04:28,945 --> 01:04:31,948 REPORTER: Former child actor Gary Coleman pleaded no contest 974 01:04:32,115 --> 01:04:34,684 to assault and battery charges on Thursday. 975 01:04:34,784 --> 01:04:38,388 He wept as he was given a 90-day suspended sentence, 976 01:04:38,488 --> 01:04:43,126 a $400 fine, and an order to attend anger management classes. 977 01:04:44,494 --> 01:04:47,764 Gary regretted what happened instantly. 978 01:04:48,364 --> 01:04:49,866 Instantly. 979 01:04:49,966 --> 01:04:54,570 He felt that really, in that moment, the bottom had fallen out once again, 980 01:04:54,670 --> 01:04:56,873 and it was horrible. 981 01:04:56,973 --> 01:05:01,077 Yet another opportunity for the public 982 01:05:01,177 --> 01:05:04,514 to make fun of him, to cast aspersions upon him. 983 01:05:05,281 --> 01:05:06,883 And to belittle him. 984 01:05:08,251 --> 01:05:12,255 Oh, m God, it's Gary Coleman! Can I have your autograph? 985 01:05:12,355 --> 01:05:14,190 Miss, please, I'm busy at work right now, 986 01:05:14,290 --> 01:05:15,725 and I really don't like doing that anymore. 987 01:05:15,825 --> 01:05:17,193 Thank you. I'm so sorry. 988 01:05:17,860 --> 01:05:19,362 You's an asshole. 989 01:05:19,462 --> 01:05:23,900 That's why your broke ass ain't famous now. (BLEEP) 990 01:05:24,000 --> 01:05:25,868 Bitch, what? 991 01:05:25,968 --> 01:05:27,303 GRAY: He was really depressed. 992 01:05:27,403 --> 01:05:33,242 He stopped going out as often, he didn't trust people anymore. 993 01:05:33,342 --> 01:05:36,212 This was one of those experiences that changed him. 994 01:05:37,447 --> 01:05:42,118 He constantly referred to himself as "God's punching bag." 995 01:05:42,151 --> 01:05:46,022 He felt like one of life's jokes 996 01:05:46,122 --> 01:05:52,662 and that he was never meant to be a person of good fortune. 997 01:05:54,564 --> 01:06:00,570 In one note that he left behind for me, he writes, 998 01:06:00,670 --> 01:06:05,475 "I am a hurt, confused, broken man with no one and nowhere to turn to. 999 01:06:05,575 --> 01:06:09,245 "I am more sad now than I have ever been, and I feel suicidal. 1000 01:06:09,345 --> 01:06:11,180 "But of course, because of fear, 1001 01:06:11,280 --> 01:06:14,717 "frustration and no real means of doing it painlessly, 1002 01:06:14,817 --> 01:06:18,321 "I can't release my soul from the ongoing madness, 1003 01:06:18,421 --> 01:06:22,091 "betrayal and misery that surrounds my life." 1004 01:06:25,361 --> 01:06:26,362 It's horrible. 1005 01:06:27,864 --> 01:06:30,666 This kind of loneliness, this kind of hopelessness. 1006 01:06:47,216 --> 01:06:50,653 GRAY: Gary often didn't sleep well, so a lot of times we'd just 1007 01:06:50,753 --> 01:06:57,293 drive out here along Mulholland Drive and look out over the city. 1008 01:06:57,393 --> 01:07:00,530 If we could catch a few stars once in a while, it was nice. 1009 01:07:03,633 --> 01:07:08,704 Gary liked outer space, and the idea of space exploration 1010 01:07:08,805 --> 01:07:11,707 was just a way of hoping and dreaming 1011 01:07:11,808 --> 01:07:14,410 about that better future that Gar wanted to live in. 1012 01:07:17,814 --> 01:07:22,585 It wouldn't be about Black or white or male or female, 1013 01:07:22,685 --> 01:07:25,722 tall, short, rich, or any of that. 1014 01:07:27,924 --> 01:07:32,328 He thought that in the future like that, he could have been treated 1015 01:07:32,428 --> 01:07:36,866 with all the respect that he deserved and not as the butt of a joke. 1016 01:07:37,767 --> 01:07:39,669 Nor as a penny arcade. 1017 01:07:42,105 --> 01:07:44,107 So this was a way to just look up 1018 01:07:44,140 --> 01:07:48,711 and hope for that better-ness that was coming someday. 1019 01:07:59,822 --> 01:08:03,426 In 2005, he got approached to do Church Ball, 1020 01:08:03,526 --> 01:08:06,829 which was filming out in the state of Utah. 1021 01:08:06,929 --> 01:08:09,866 I'm gonna wipe the floor with your face, little man. 1022 01:08:09,966 --> 01:08:12,101 He called me on the last day of the shoot, 1023 01:08:12,201 --> 01:08:14,070 and he said, "I've decided something. 1024 01:08:14,170 --> 01:08:15,705 "I want to move out here to Utah." 1025 01:08:18,608 --> 01:08:20,209 "The people here in Utah are awesome. 1026 01:08:20,309 --> 01:08:22,078 "They're so friendly and wonderful 1027 01:08:22,145 --> 01:08:24,814 "and they're not treating me like Gary Coleman. 1028 01:08:24,914 --> 01:08:28,718 "They're treating me like just Gar." And I was like "Oh!" 1029 01:08:28,818 --> 01:08:31,888 He said, "Is that okay with you?" 1030 01:08:31,988 --> 01:08:34,624 And I said, "Yeah, I'll be there. Not a problem." 1031 01:08:34,724 --> 01:08:38,194 So I packed up the Los Angeles apartment 1032 01:08:38,294 --> 01:08:40,496 and we drove straight to Santaquin. 1033 01:08:46,102 --> 01:08:50,907 It took me about four days to get out there, and I was exhausted. 1034 01:08:51,007 --> 01:08:54,677 So I hopped out of the truck and Gary came running out. 1035 01:08:57,547 --> 01:09:00,817 And Shannon Price was walking out of the house behind him. 1036 01:09:03,820 --> 01:09:07,156 She just struck me as very, very young. 1037 01:09:08,458 --> 01:09:10,393 I was 19 years old when I met him. 1038 01:09:10,493 --> 01:09:15,364 And I was worried whether or not she would be immature. 1039 01:09:15,465 --> 01:09:18,434 I was like, "Hey, my name is Shannon. Nice to meet you." 1040 01:09:18,534 --> 01:09:21,604 And I could just tell immediately. 1041 01:09:21,704 --> 01:09:26,409 Cold shoulder. Very standoffish. Not friendly at all. 1042 01:09:27,243 --> 01:09:28,878 Within the first day, 1043 01:09:28,978 --> 01:09:34,650 I was already picking up on her wanting things. 1044 01:09:34,751 --> 01:09:38,488 Not wanting Gar, wanting things. 1045 01:09:38,588 --> 01:09:40,890 I remember one night she had been drinking. 1046 01:09:42,458 --> 01:09:43,926 And she spit beer on me. 1047 01:09:44,794 --> 01:09:46,662 Believe it or not, she did. 1048 01:09:46,763 --> 01:09:52,201 After an admittedly ugly night, eventually, I told Gar 1049 01:09:52,301 --> 01:09:55,838 that I think it'd be best if I go away for a little bit 1050 01:09:55,938 --> 01:09:59,308 and let you explore this and see what it is. 1051 01:09:59,409 --> 01:10:06,115 We always had the freedom to explore other relationships if we wanted to. 1052 01:10:06,215 --> 01:10:11,687 I was really hoping that it would be another person in his life that, you know, 1053 01:10:11,788 --> 01:10:18,061 would lift him up and bring him joy and that's not what happened at the end. 1054 01:10:19,695 --> 01:10:22,465 MIAL: I had left his employ as his manager. 1055 01:10:23,733 --> 01:10:29,505 And when Gary moved to Utah, I was not aware at all 1056 01:10:29,605 --> 01:10:34,377 of what was happening with him on a day-to-day basis. 1057 01:10:34,477 --> 01:10:36,646 I learned that there was someone that he met. 1058 01:10:38,047 --> 01:10:41,718 This "Shannon," and I wasn't terribly concerned 1059 01:10:41,818 --> 01:10:45,688 until I learned that she was living with him. 1060 01:10:46,789 --> 01:10:48,257 Then I had grave concerns. 1061 01:10:50,126 --> 01:10:53,329 PRICE: There were a couple times where we had arguments that I'm like, 1062 01:10:53,429 --> 01:10:56,632 "Hey, you should go do this film because, you know, 1063 01:10:56,733 --> 01:10:59,068 "we do need to pay the bills at some point." 1064 01:10:59,168 --> 01:11:03,339 Some of the movies that he did the last few years of his life, he didn't like. 1065 01:11:08,111 --> 01:11:12,281 Shannon said, "You gotta do it. We need money. We got to live." 1066 01:11:13,282 --> 01:11:15,485 I remember he would call me every single day 1067 01:11:15,585 --> 01:11:17,954 and he's like, he would blame me for it. 1068 01:11:18,121 --> 01:11:22,692 And I was like, "You know what? I'm done," and I decided to divorce him. 1069 01:11:23,793 --> 01:11:26,696 They were divorced in 2008. 1070 01:11:26,796 --> 01:11:30,266 And I know they got back together socially after that. 1071 01:11:30,366 --> 01:11:31,734 I know that she continued to 1072 01:11:31,834 --> 01:11:36,239 live at his house and eat his food and have him buy her things 1073 01:11:36,339 --> 01:11:37,807 even after they were divorced. 1074 01:11:37,907 --> 01:11:40,910 We still lived together. We still stayed together. 1075 01:11:41,010 --> 01:11:42,345 We were still together. 1076 01:11:42,445 --> 01:11:45,314 He had told me himself, "She's just my roommate." 1077 01:11:45,415 --> 01:11:49,919 In the public and out and about, it was, "we're married." 1078 01:11:50,019 --> 01:11:55,058 But behind closed doors, it was, "You're just my roommate." 1079 01:11:55,158 --> 01:11:57,493 There were multiple times when Gary and I 1080 01:11:57,593 --> 01:11:59,595 discussed a restraining order. 1081 01:11:59,695 --> 01:12:01,597 He just couldn't deal with it anymore. 1082 01:12:01,697 --> 01:12:05,868 It was never served to me, so it was just a document 1083 01:12:05,968 --> 01:12:10,840 that Randy had made up and had printed out. 1084 01:12:10,940 --> 01:12:12,775 KESTER: We'd prepared the paperwork, 1085 01:12:12,875 --> 01:12:15,511 and the next day he'd call me and say... 1086 01:12:15,611 --> 01:12:20,450 Randy, it's Gary Coleman. I need to rescind that order. 1087 01:12:20,550 --> 01:12:27,390 Everything's cool, everything's fine so far, so maybe the fourth time around 1088 01:12:27,490 --> 01:12:28,624 things will work out. 1089 01:12:30,526 --> 01:12:33,896 It was just toxic. 1090 01:12:33,996 --> 01:12:38,601 I know the police had been there quite a few times to domestic issues. 1091 01:12:40,503 --> 01:12:42,638 They both laid their hands on each other. 1092 01:12:42,739 --> 01:12:48,044 Neither one of them was the innocent party. 1093 01:12:48,144 --> 01:12:51,647 Strokesstar Gary Coleman sits in the Utah County Jail tonight. 1094 01:12:51,748 --> 01:12:54,517 Coleman was booked into jail around 1:00 this afternoon 1095 01:12:54,617 --> 01:12:57,353 after being arrested by Santaquin police. 1096 01:12:57,453 --> 01:12:59,021 REPORTER: Gary. What happened today? 1097 01:12:59,155 --> 01:13:01,491 Nothing, nothing you'd be interested in. 1098 01:13:01,591 --> 01:13:03,092 No jail time, 1099 01:13:03,126 --> 01:13:05,561 not leaving my house, not paying any heavy fines. 1100 01:13:06,729 --> 01:13:08,197 And now I'm just gonna go to lunch. 1101 01:13:09,632 --> 01:13:13,002 It was only a couple of times as far as anything physical. 1102 01:13:14,103 --> 01:13:15,238 Yeah, there was a couple of times. 1103 01:13:15,338 --> 01:13:18,007 I mean, I slapped him a couple of times. 1104 01:13:18,107 --> 01:13:21,377 I mean, nothing major, nothing like, "red flag." 1105 01:13:21,477 --> 01:13:24,013 Like, people smack each other. They hit each other. 1106 01:13:24,781 --> 01:13:25,748 People do it. 1107 01:13:25,848 --> 01:13:28,584 You know, if you deny it, you're crazy. 1108 01:13:28,684 --> 01:13:33,022 I have this on my head because I fell down the stairs. 1109 01:13:33,122 --> 01:13:35,158 I don't want people thinking that my wife is abusing. 1110 01:13:35,258 --> 01:13:37,960 Why don't you want to answer the question about whether you beat your wife? 1111 01:13:38,127 --> 01:13:39,662 -(BLEEP) -Everything out. Pardon me? 1112 01:13:39,762 --> 01:13:41,864 -You can go (BLEEP) yourself, and quit asking me. -Really? 1113 01:13:41,964 --> 01:13:43,299 Is that the way you talk to your wife? 1114 01:13:43,399 --> 01:13:46,736 Yes, I have to. If I need to. But I don't. 1115 01:13:46,836 --> 01:13:49,672 -I don't know you. -Hold on. Hold on. 1116 01:13:49,772 --> 01:13:51,541 If I get hit by a bus tonight, 1117 01:13:51,641 --> 01:13:55,244 I'm not gonna care because she's pushing my buttons 1118 01:13:55,344 --> 01:13:58,281 and I don't like her now and the next thing I'm going to do 1119 01:13:58,381 --> 01:14:01,117 is leave, so (BLEEP) all of you. 1120 01:14:03,152 --> 01:14:05,254 -Gary, come back. -No (BLEEP) you. 1121 01:14:16,733 --> 01:14:19,602 He had dialysis that morning, and he came home, 1122 01:14:19,702 --> 01:14:22,538 and he immediately came upstairs and I could tell 1123 01:14:22,638 --> 01:14:24,607 he wasn't really feeling that well. 1124 01:14:25,641 --> 01:14:27,977 But also I was really sick. 1125 01:14:28,111 --> 01:14:31,814 I have an inner ear problem, so I was just basically bedridden. 1126 01:14:31,914 --> 01:14:35,518 And I asked him, I was like, "Hey, would you mind going downstairs 1127 01:14:35,618 --> 01:14:38,755 "and just putting some pizza rolls in the microwave for me?" 1128 01:14:39,355 --> 01:14:42,024 Then he went downstairs. 1129 01:14:42,125 --> 01:14:47,530 I have a lot of questions and concerns about what happened in the house that day. 1130 01:14:49,432 --> 01:14:53,636 BUYS: I was shocked when I found out he was fixing her dinner after dialysis 1131 01:14:53,736 --> 01:14:57,940 because I've seen how he felt after, he was weak. 1132 01:14:58,941 --> 01:15:02,178 He was sick, 1133 01:15:02,278 --> 01:15:05,715 and honestly, he just wanted to go take a nap. 1134 01:15:07,650 --> 01:15:10,586 When I heard the big, loud boom, 1135 01:15:10,686 --> 01:15:16,092 I was like, "Gary? Gary? Gary?" and I heard nothing. 1136 01:15:16,159 --> 01:15:21,230 I got out of bed and I went downstairs and there he was laying down 1137 01:15:22,398 --> 01:15:26,002 on the floor with blood around his head. 1138 01:15:27,503 --> 01:15:29,739 And I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to think. 1139 01:15:29,839 --> 01:15:32,842 So, yeah, of course that's when I called 911. 1140 01:15:54,230 --> 01:15:57,233 I heard the 911 call. I was appalled. 1141 01:15:58,301 --> 01:16:01,671 "I can't help him because there's blood"? 1142 01:16:05,575 --> 01:16:09,078 If you care about somebody, you don't care about that. 1143 01:16:15,718 --> 01:16:20,423 She was more worried about herself than the person she was calling 911 for. 1144 01:16:25,795 --> 01:16:29,932 (SIGHS) I think her actions speak volumes, 1145 01:16:30,099 --> 01:16:32,468 and I don't have to say much more than that. 1146 01:16:38,841 --> 01:16:42,011 My 911 call was frantic, but, I mean, it was 1147 01:16:42,111 --> 01:16:45,248 a decent amount of blood, and it just freaked me out. 1148 01:16:50,920 --> 01:16:56,192 I did not want to intervene with where all the blood was, 1149 01:16:56,292 --> 01:16:57,727 because I knew help was coming. 1150 01:17:08,071 --> 01:17:09,172 She didn't help him. 1151 01:17:09,272 --> 01:17:12,275 She wanted somebody to hurry and get there and help him. 1152 01:17:12,375 --> 01:17:13,376 PRICE: It's not that I didn't help him. 1153 01:17:13,476 --> 01:17:15,978 I helped him. Clearly I helped him. 1154 01:17:28,224 --> 01:17:31,594 The paramedics came. They made sure that he was being assisted. 1155 01:17:31,694 --> 01:17:34,464 I just thought he was going to go to the hospital, get stitched up, come back. 1156 01:17:34,564 --> 01:17:36,199 All is good. 1157 01:17:36,299 --> 01:17:40,236 MIAL: She watched them load him into the back of the ambulance, 1158 01:17:40,336 --> 01:17:45,308 waved goodbye and went back into the house and put the garage door down. 1159 01:17:47,443 --> 01:17:49,379 And Gary was alone. 1160 01:17:54,016 --> 01:18:00,490 I was not in the right frame of mind to have gone with him. 1161 01:18:00,590 --> 01:18:02,358 I was frantic. I was stressed. 1162 01:18:02,458 --> 01:18:04,060 Anxiety, sad. 1163 01:18:04,127 --> 01:18:05,928 You know, just stuff like that 1164 01:18:06,062 --> 01:18:08,698 that any normal person would feel. 1165 01:18:11,934 --> 01:18:13,636 And I called him at the hospital and I was like, 1166 01:18:13,736 --> 01:18:15,371 "Do you know anything, like, what's going on?" 1167 01:18:15,471 --> 01:18:16,806 I was like, "When are you coming home?" 1168 01:18:16,906 --> 01:18:19,909 And he's like, "I have a really bad headache. 1169 01:18:22,145 --> 01:18:24,113 "Okay. I think I'm just gonna go to sleep." 1170 01:18:24,213 --> 01:18:27,984 And I was like, "I'll talk to you later. I love you." 1171 01:18:28,084 --> 01:18:29,685 And he's like, "I love you, too." 1172 01:18:29,786 --> 01:18:31,888 And that was the last thing he said to me. 1173 01:18:35,925 --> 01:18:41,831 The next day, I get a phone call and they say he has an intracranial hemorrhage. 1174 01:18:41,931 --> 01:18:45,568 So he has, you know, certain bleeding in the brain. 1175 01:18:45,668 --> 01:18:48,771 And they were taking him to dialysis, 1176 01:18:48,871 --> 01:18:50,873 and he immediately went into cardiac arrest. 1177 01:18:53,509 --> 01:18:55,111 NORD: A friend sent me a text and said, 1178 01:18:55,178 --> 01:18:56,813 "Hey, Gary's in the hospital and it's critical. 1179 01:18:56,913 --> 01:19:00,917 "It's really bad." So I immediately sent some text messages to Shannon. 1180 01:19:01,050 --> 01:19:04,387 And I was encouraging her to go to the hospital. 1181 01:19:04,487 --> 01:19:06,656 And I said, "It's really important that you be there." 1182 01:19:08,725 --> 01:19:13,296 PRICE: So then my dad and I, we went together Thursday to go see him. 1183 01:19:13,396 --> 01:19:16,432 He was on a ventilator. I mean, he wasn't breathing on his own. 1184 01:19:17,800 --> 01:19:20,536 But he was still alive using a machine. 1185 01:19:22,405 --> 01:19:25,208 It was really heartbreaking to see him that way. 1186 01:19:25,308 --> 01:19:27,877 And the doctors and the nurses told me, they're like, 1187 01:19:27,977 --> 01:19:30,113 "Hey, he's not gonna make it." 1188 01:19:32,081 --> 01:19:34,550 And I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to think. 1189 01:19:35,918 --> 01:19:37,587 And they were like, "Shannon, what do you want to do?" 1190 01:19:44,927 --> 01:19:47,597 Actor Gary Coleman is in critical condition 1191 01:19:47,697 --> 01:19:50,433 this morning at a hospital in Utah. His family described... 1192 01:19:50,533 --> 01:19:52,668 SUE: Willie heard it on television. 1193 01:19:52,769 --> 01:19:57,740 All I could do was take my cell phone, call the sheriff's office 1194 01:19:57,840 --> 01:19:59,642 in Salt Lake City and say, 1195 01:19:59,742 --> 01:20:02,645 "I hear my son is in the hospital and he's critical." 1196 01:20:02,745 --> 01:20:08,317 "Would you send somebody over to speak with Shannon and have her call me?" 1197 01:20:09,919 --> 01:20:11,254 She did not call me. 1198 01:20:13,322 --> 01:20:17,927 MIAL: I pulled up Shannon's number and called 1199 01:20:18,027 --> 01:20:21,564 and she was very distant, very short. 1200 01:20:21,664 --> 01:20:24,500 "The doctor says it doesn't look good at all. 1201 01:20:24,600 --> 01:20:27,236 "He's probably going to die. He's a goner. 1202 01:20:27,336 --> 01:20:29,906 "He's done. He's done." 1203 01:20:31,808 --> 01:20:35,378 I get a call from Shannon and she said, "You better run up here. 1204 01:20:40,316 --> 01:20:41,317 "He's not gonna make it." 1205 01:20:44,754 --> 01:20:46,389 I headed straight to the hospital. 1206 01:20:49,492 --> 01:20:52,028 I told her to start writing down these questions 1207 01:20:52,128 --> 01:20:54,397 of what you need to ask the physician. 1208 01:20:54,497 --> 01:20:56,499 And she asked several times, 1209 01:20:57,233 --> 01:20:59,469 "Is there anything we can do?" 1210 01:20:59,569 --> 01:21:01,104 "Is there any way you could get the fluid out?" 1211 01:21:01,204 --> 01:21:03,873 "Did you ever perform an EEG?" 1212 01:21:03,973 --> 01:21:07,410 But the doctors suggested that she take him off life support. 1213 01:21:08,277 --> 01:21:10,113 There's nothing there. 1214 01:21:10,747 --> 01:21:11,881 His brain is gone. 1215 01:21:12,715 --> 01:21:14,217 His head was full of blood. 1216 01:21:20,423 --> 01:21:24,026 I went in there and I said everything I needed to say. 1217 01:21:24,127 --> 01:21:26,329 "I love you. I'm gonna miss you. 1218 01:21:26,429 --> 01:21:29,198 "You're the most amazing thing that happened in my life. 1219 01:21:29,298 --> 01:21:32,335 "And you really were loved. And you were cared about. 1220 01:21:38,674 --> 01:21:41,644 "I want you to know that if I failed you, I'm sorry. 1221 01:21:44,247 --> 01:21:49,485 "I'm sorry that you had to live with these health issues in this life." 1222 01:21:51,020 --> 01:21:54,323 And the decision, 1223 01:21:55,691 --> 01:21:58,628 to say, "Yes, take him off life support," 1224 01:21:58,728 --> 01:22:01,631 was the hardest thing I had ever had to do. 1225 01:22:15,011 --> 01:22:18,514 REPORTER: Gary Coleman died yesterday after being taken off life support. 1226 01:22:23,586 --> 01:22:26,789 SUE: Stunned, you know? 1227 01:22:26,889 --> 01:22:29,025 You couldn't find the words to speak... 1228 01:22:29,125 --> 01:22:32,795 or describe how it felt at that time. 1229 01:22:50,813 --> 01:22:53,516 It broke me. It broke me mentally. 1230 01:22:55,451 --> 01:22:59,021 I spent the next three weeks bawling my guts out. 1231 01:23:00,857 --> 01:23:03,126 Every day from sunup to sundown. 1232 01:23:04,994 --> 01:23:10,867 We were absolutely stumped because there were way too many questions 1233 01:23:12,101 --> 01:23:13,603 with no answers. 1234 01:23:19,342 --> 01:23:24,380 PRICE: The fact that people come out and say that she murdered Gary, 1235 01:23:24,480 --> 01:23:26,315 she pushed him down the stairs. 1236 01:23:27,316 --> 01:23:29,752 That really, really, really hurt me. 1237 01:23:32,922 --> 01:23:37,326 HORD: I think everybody felt that the death of Gary Coleman was suspicious, 1238 01:23:37,427 --> 01:23:43,766 and whatever happened in the kitchen when he fell, and have that much blood, 1239 01:23:43,866 --> 01:23:47,870 you know, it raises a question, "What really happened there?" 1240 01:23:49,639 --> 01:23:52,341 MIAL: He was 4'8" tall. 1241 01:23:52,442 --> 01:23:55,211 He didn't have that far to fall. 1242 01:23:55,311 --> 01:23:59,015 In order to create such a significant injury, 1243 01:23:59,148 --> 01:24:03,519 it just begs question after question after question. 1244 01:24:05,621 --> 01:24:09,459 I personally, in my opinion, do not think that he fell. 1245 01:24:11,127 --> 01:24:13,096 I want to say so much, but I don't... 1246 01:24:14,297 --> 01:24:15,865 I don't know what... 1247 01:24:16,733 --> 01:24:19,235 What I can say without being sued. 1248 01:24:22,438 --> 01:24:24,540 PRICE: I broke down, I cried. I'm not going to lie. 1249 01:24:28,911 --> 01:24:33,116 Like, how can people be so evil and just think that I did this? 1250 01:24:33,216 --> 01:24:36,285 Why? Because I'm the ex-wife. I'm the evil person, right? 1251 01:24:39,655 --> 01:24:43,493 You said, I've had a lot of people sit there and say, "Yeah, she pushed him." 1252 01:24:43,593 --> 01:24:45,895 I would never hurt my husband. Ever. 1253 01:24:47,130 --> 01:24:50,500 People felt like she had been the one that caused his death 1254 01:24:50,600 --> 01:24:55,571 and either pushed him down the stairs or knocked him down or something. 1255 01:24:55,671 --> 01:24:59,409 But the police concluded that there was no foul play. 1256 01:24:59,509 --> 01:25:03,946 There was no criminal element to it, that it was just an unfortunate accident, 1257 01:25:04,080 --> 01:25:07,183 that he had just simply fallen and hit his head. 1258 01:25:09,152 --> 01:25:12,121 I mean, I'm here for a reason talking to you right now 1259 01:25:12,221 --> 01:25:14,524 because I didn't do anything. 1260 01:25:14,624 --> 01:25:16,759 I didn't touch him. I didn't hurt him. I was nowhere near him. 1261 01:25:16,859 --> 01:25:18,094 Nothing happened. 1262 01:25:20,363 --> 01:25:23,299 MIAL: The spotlight turned to the decision... 1263 01:25:24,367 --> 01:25:27,737 to pull the plug and end Gary's life. 1264 01:25:29,205 --> 01:25:32,108 GRAY: Gary had an advanced healthcare directive 1265 01:25:32,208 --> 01:25:36,112 where he stated he wanted at least two weeks of care 1266 01:25:36,212 --> 01:25:38,514 before any plugs were pulled. 1267 01:25:38,614 --> 01:25:42,518 So, I just... I can't understand... 1268 01:25:43,753 --> 01:25:46,489 why anyone would pull the plug 1269 01:25:46,589 --> 01:25:49,859 two days later, not two weeks later? 1270 01:25:53,129 --> 01:25:54,997 Did you not want to give him some time? 1271 01:25:56,532 --> 01:25:58,434 Why did you feel the need... 1272 01:25:59,235 --> 01:26:01,604 to do that so quickly? 1273 01:26:01,704 --> 01:26:05,541 I mean, you never gave him a chance. 1274 01:26:05,641 --> 01:26:10,246 PRICE: On the medical directive, he said if there was two or more doctors 1275 01:26:10,346 --> 01:26:13,649 that stated that he's not going to come out of it, 1276 01:26:13,750 --> 01:26:17,220 then to take him off life support. 1277 01:26:17,320 --> 01:26:19,555 And there were enough doctors... 1278 01:26:19,655 --> 01:26:22,625 and medical staff that told me his condition 1279 01:26:22,725 --> 01:26:24,560 and that he just wasn't going to get better. 1280 01:26:25,528 --> 01:26:28,297 I think that legally... 1281 01:26:29,899 --> 01:26:34,604 Miss Price is covered in terms of turning off Gary's life support... 1282 01:26:36,439 --> 01:26:37,707 but not morally. 1283 01:26:42,612 --> 01:26:46,649 MIAL: The cover photo of Gary in his final moments... 1284 01:26:47,350 --> 01:26:49,585 was the ultimate betrayal. 1285 01:26:52,989 --> 01:26:55,925 PRICE: I actually took that photo. It was a selfie. 1286 01:26:56,025 --> 01:26:58,728 And I was also crying and I had a tear. 1287 01:27:00,296 --> 01:27:03,533 That's how everybody is now going to remember Gary. 1288 01:27:06,235 --> 01:27:08,538 I mean, nobody looks good when they're dying. 1289 01:27:09,839 --> 01:27:11,641 But not everybody gets their... 1290 01:27:12,442 --> 01:27:15,712 Their final moment sold. 1291 01:27:15,812 --> 01:27:17,947 It's my understanding that she sold them. 1292 01:27:19,749 --> 01:27:21,117 It was... 1293 01:27:23,086 --> 01:27:28,825 one of the most depraved acts I've ever seen perpetrated... 1294 01:27:30,393 --> 01:27:32,161 on another human being in my life. 1295 01:27:33,629 --> 01:27:37,567 I think that people needed to honestly see it, 1296 01:27:37,667 --> 01:27:40,937 to see what he went through health wise. 1297 01:27:43,272 --> 01:27:46,743 To show people like, "Hey, look, he's human." 1298 01:27:46,843 --> 01:27:48,177 I couldn't believe anything worse 1299 01:27:48,277 --> 01:27:51,180 than Gary being dead could possibly happen. 1300 01:27:53,850 --> 01:27:56,619 Damned if she didn't find a way to do it. (CHUCKLES SADLY) 1301 01:27:59,722 --> 01:28:02,225 Funeral plans are expected to be announced soon 1302 01:28:02,325 --> 01:28:04,494 for the former child star Gary Coleman. 1303 01:28:04,594 --> 01:28:09,198 He specifically said, "No funeral, no headstone. 1304 01:28:09,298 --> 01:28:11,534 "I want to be left alone in the end. 1305 01:28:11,634 --> 01:28:13,403 "I want to fade away." 1306 01:28:16,072 --> 01:28:22,345 He was really very tired of everyone wanting him for all the wrong reasons. 1307 01:28:27,083 --> 01:28:32,622 Gary did live a life fraught with so many disappointments. 1308 01:28:32,722 --> 01:28:35,691 There were a lot of people that let him down. 1309 01:28:37,693 --> 01:28:41,531 GRAY: I know Gar felt let down by his parents first and foremost. 1310 01:28:42,465 --> 01:28:45,468 But it just kept piling on. 1311 01:28:45,568 --> 01:28:49,305 Business managers, Hollywood, the public, 1312 01:28:49,405 --> 01:28:52,275 and, in the end, Miss Price. 1313 01:28:53,643 --> 01:28:56,946 GARY: Celebrity's always a burden. I don't care who you are. 1314 01:28:57,113 --> 01:29:00,349 I don't care how much you claim you like it. 1315 01:29:00,450 --> 01:29:02,485 You're stuck with it for life. 1316 01:29:02,585 --> 01:29:06,756 You're gonna die a celebrity. Even if you haven't worked in 20 years. 1317 01:29:08,524 --> 01:29:10,526 MIAL: The entertainment industry... 1318 01:29:11,294 --> 01:29:12,795 is not designed... 1319 01:29:14,363 --> 01:29:17,166 to protect anyone's life. 1320 01:29:20,069 --> 01:29:21,604 It will chew you up... 1321 01:29:23,072 --> 01:29:24,907 and spit you out. 1322 01:29:29,212 --> 01:29:32,648 Gary said this several times. He said, "I feel as if I never existed." 1323 01:29:36,085 --> 01:29:37,787 How could someone feel like that? 1324 01:29:37,887 --> 01:29:42,125 How could Gary Coleman feel like he feels as if he's never existed? 1325 01:29:44,093 --> 01:29:45,395 He is the greatest child actor. 1326 01:29:45,495 --> 01:29:49,232 In my book, he is the greatest child actor of all time. 1327 01:29:50,900 --> 01:29:53,236 But he honestly felt like he never existed. 1328 01:29:54,337 --> 01:29:56,305 Because he was always Arnold. 1329 01:30:00,109 --> 01:30:01,377 His life... 1330 01:30:03,446 --> 01:30:06,115 is definitely a cautionary tale. 1331 01:30:07,316 --> 01:30:13,222 But I choose to acknowledge his life 1332 01:30:13,322 --> 01:30:18,461 in a complete whole perspective for everything that it was. 1333 01:30:18,561 --> 01:30:24,534 The tragic moments as well as his victory and his triumphs. 1334 01:30:29,572 --> 01:30:32,475 Super-Arnold is ready for action. 1335 01:30:32,575 --> 01:30:36,913 There are certain performers that are given to us, 1336 01:30:37,013 --> 01:30:39,515 to change our lives, to make us happy. 1337 01:30:41,517 --> 01:30:42,952 And I think he was one of them. 1338 01:30:44,020 --> 01:30:46,789 Monsters spotted on the Empire State Building. 1339 01:30:48,424 --> 01:30:50,993 The proof of the pudding is in the tasting. 1340 01:30:51,094 --> 01:30:54,530 And his life and career tasted great. 1341 01:30:55,531 --> 01:30:57,066 So long, wood monster, 1342 01:30:57,166 --> 01:31:00,470 I'm turning you into toothpicks with my zowie zap gun. 1343 01:31:00,570 --> 01:31:02,538 Zap, zap, zap. 1344 01:31:03,106 --> 01:31:04,307 Give him that credit. 1345 01:31:05,141 --> 01:31:06,676 And acknowledge him for that. 1346 01:31:07,810 --> 01:31:10,513 Super-Arnold saves New York again! 1347 01:31:10,613 --> 01:31:13,282 (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)