All the Tragedies and Deaths That Have Touched the 'Diff'rent Strokes' Cast Over the Years

In 1978, Diff'rent Strokes premiered on NBC and put stars like Gary Coleman on the map. Although the core cast would go on to eventually include other main stars, many of the OGs were beloved by fans of the iconic series over the years. So much so that whenever there is a death in the Diff'rent Strokes cast, longtime fans can't help but mourn the loss.

And, over the years, there have been plenty.

As of December 2025, the last remaining member of the original core cast is Todd Bridges. He played Willis Jackson. Although there are other supporting stars from the show who are still alive today, Todd's name is one that is still synonymous with Diff'rent Strokes, much like his fellow co-stars who have died over the years.

Although Le Tari played Dudley's dad for just a handful of episodes, he was still part of Diff'rent Strokes as an important character during his short time with the series. In 1987, at the age of 40, he reportedly died from a heart attack. According to IMDb, he went on to appear in episodes of Small Wonder, The A-Team, and What's Happening Now! after Diff'rent Strokes.

Dana Plato played Kimberly for several seasons before she left Diff'rent Strokes in 1984. Following her exit, she struggled with highly publicized substance abuse and was once arrested for robbing a video store. According to People, Dana died in 1999 at the age of 34 of an overdose. It was later ruled that Dana died by suicide.

Gary Coleman famously played Arnold for the entire Diff'rent Strokes run. He was the third cast member to die after the series ended, though his death didn't come until more than 20 years after the finale. He died at the age of 42 in 2010. Per Reuters, Gary died from a brain hemorrhage after he fell at his Utah home. After he was taken off life support, the former actor died.

As another OG from the series, Dody Goodman played Aunt Sophia for quite a while, though her episodes became less frequent in later seasons. Dody appeared in both Grease and Grease 2 before she was cast as Aunt Sophia, and she later starred in other TV shows and movies. In 2009, at the age of 93, Dody died of natural causes, per the Los Angeles Times.

Conrad Bain played Phillip in all 189 episodes of Diff'rent Strokes. After the series ended, according to IMDb, Conrad starred in the show Mr. President and appeared as his Diff'rent Strokes character in an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In 2013, ABC News reported that Conrad died of natural causes. He was 89 years old.

Melanie Watson played Kathy for four episodes of Diff'rent Strokes. Per The New York Times, Melanie's role on the show, which allowed her to use her real-life wheelchair, provided the series with representation that was rare for its time. In 2025, at the age of 57, Melanie died.

At the time, TMZ reported that her cause of death was related to a hospitalization from issues with bleeding. She was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a condition where the individual has faulty collagen, making their bones fracture easily.