Child actor Gary Coleman made a big cultural mark on the 1980s in his role as Arnold Jackson on Diff’rent Strokes – “Whatchoo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” was his notable catchphrase on the show. But the young man who emerged from the series in 1986 had a hard road ahead of him. Because of health issues stemming from his earliest days, he retained his childlike stature and appearance, and the $18 million he had earned as the highest paid child actor of the decade had been pilfered by none other than his parents. His life never got less complicated.

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Receipts

Cops: Gary Coleman Slugs Fan (cbsnews.com)

Actor Gary Coleman’s wife jailed (denverpost.com)

Gary Coleman death ruled an accident (bbc.com)

Gary Coleman’s Estate: How Much Was It Worth? (abcnews.go.com)

Court Rules Against Gary Coleman’s Ex, Finds She Abused And Cheated On Him (forbes.com)

This Is How Gary Coleman Lost All Of His Money (nickiswift.com)

The ‘Diff’rent Strokes’ curse isn’t a joke (latimes.com)

Molly Shannon says she was sexually harassed by ‘Diff’rent Strokes’ star Gary Coleman (nbcnews.com)

Gary Coleman’s ‘secret will’ revealed as estranged parents withdraw court bid for custody of his body (dailymail.co.uk)

How Did Gary Coleman Die? Inside The Demise Of The Groundbreaking Child Actor (allthatsinteresting.com)

Gary Coleman, 2003 Calif. Gov. Candidate, Remembered (npr.org)