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Despite his cancer battle, “Saved by the Bell” star Dustin Diamond maintained a positive attitude in the weeks leading up to his death.
Diamond’s manager Roger Paul told People magazine, “Of course he was scared, but he tried to find the humor in it. He did chemo — he tried everything possible. But it didn’t work. Dustin tried to be as positive as he could throughout everything — that’s who he was — but he was scared.”
“He didn’t want to die,” Paul emphasized.
According to Paul, Diamond’s girlfriend Tash Jules was by his side when he passed.
Less than a month ago, Diamond went to see a doctor since he was “feeling out of sorts and he’d had a lump on his neck that he was ignoring.”
Paul went on, “He was afraid of the public attention if he went into the hospital. But finally, his girlfriend took him and the doctors confirmed it was cancer.”
The cancer progressed rapidly after his diagnosis. His rep previously shared, “In that time, it managed to spread rapidly throughout his system; the only mercy it exhibited was its sharp and swift execution. Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful.”
Dustin’s friend Dan Block also opened up on his final days, telling The Sun UK, “When I got here on Monday, he couldn’t speak, he was gasping for air. It was a very awful sight. I know he was in a lot of pain.”
“Then they released him to hospice care. I helped put him in the ambulance and drove with him home,” Block continued. “They were setting up his bed and bringing him into the house and before he could get moved into his bed he stopped breathing and he had a DNR [Do Not Resuscitate].”
Block also discussed their final conversation before Diamond was unable to speak. Dan said, “He told me he was dying, he told me he was in a lot of pain, but he was still excited about the future — he thought he would have a few more weeks or months. He thought five months… He was really excited his dad was there. He was like, ‘Dude, my dad’s here, he’s at the airport, I’ll call you later,’ but he never did, that was the last time he actually talked to me.”
Block revealed that Tash is “struggling,” adding, “It’s a lot to take in; she couldn’t believe how fast things happened. She has been there at the hospital as much as she could with the visiting hours and her work schedule. He greatly appreciated her.”
As for Dustin’s final dying wishes, Dan shared, “I knew he wanted to see me, he wanted to see his dad, he wanted to see his girlfriend and a few other people, he wanted to try to meet Justin Chancellor and he wanted to go and see the ‘Star Wars’ exhibit. At least he got to see his dad — that was awesome, it was a big thing for him. He didn’t get to meet Justin or go to ‘Star Wars.’ It’s sad — we thought we had more time.”
According to Dan, Dustin wanted to be cremated, explaining, “He said he didn’t want to have a gravestone because he was worried people would mess with it just like they messed with him when he was alive. He just wants to be left in peace to leave the world.”