Actor Dustin Diamond Dead At 44

​In a heartbreaking turn of events beloved actor Dustin Diamond known for playing Screech Powers on Saved by the Bell had passed at age 44. Diamond continued to reprise his role for the franchise in various spinoffs, including “Saved by the Bell: The College Years” and “Saved by the Bell: The New Class,” the latter of which he starred in for about six years.
 
The star also appeared as himself in a variety of shows and films following his stint as Screech, among these being “Made,” “Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star,” “Four Corners Road,” “American Pie Presents: The Book of Love” and his infamous 2006 sex tape “Screeched — Saved by the Smell.”
 
Diamond told Oprah Winfrey in a 2013 episode of “Oprah: Where Are They Now?” that he was embarrassed by the tape and that the paycheck “wasn’t worth what the fallout was.”
 
“Looking back now in my 30s, I realize that was really dumb,” he said. “People to this day look down on me. There’s a lot of people [who think] ‘how disgusting of you’ — and I didn’t really do it.”
 
He also had stints on reality TV, including “Celebrity Big Brother,” “Celebrity Fit Club,” “The Weakest Link” and “Celebrity Boxing 2.” Diamond wrote a memoir about his time with the “Saved by the Bell” franchise. Titled “Behind the Bell,” the book recounts alleged controversies related to cast members, including himself.
 
Diamond was married to Jennifer Misner from 2009 until their separation in 2013.
 
Diamond was arrested in 2014 and served three months in prison in 2015 for stabbing a man during a bar fight. He was arrested again in May 2016 for violating the terms of his probation.
 
Representation went on to explain how Mr Diamond was a passionate and flawed individual who despite his personal shortcomings was a good person who struggled to deal with internal pain and demons.