Actor Conrad Bain, most famous for playing the adoptive father of “Arnold Jackson” (Gary Coleman) on 80’s sitcom Diff’rent Strokes has passed away. He was 89 years-old.
Bain family sources tell TMZ, Bain died Monday night at a retirement home in Livermore, CA. So far, details surrounding his death are unclear.
We spoke with Bain’s daughter Jennifer who tells us, “He was an amazing person. He was a lot like Mr. Drummond, but much more interesting in real life. He was an amazing father.”
Bain — who became a household name starring opposite Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges on the iconic 80s series — is survived by his three sons and one daughter. He also has a surviving twin brother Bonar Bain.
Reportedly Bridges, who played Arnold’s older brother, Willis Jackson, on Diff’rent Strokes, is “inconsolable.” “I am deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Conrad as we were looking forward to celebrating his 90th birthday next month,” Bridges told TMZ.
Too many members of the cast of the 80’s series have already passed away. Coleman died in 2010 from complications from a head injury in 2010 (he was 44) and Dana Plato, who played Kimberly Drummond died of a drug overdose in 1999 at the age of 34.
Diff’rent Strokes aired for eight seasons between 1978 and 1986. The show left an indelible imprint on Pop culture, including Hip-Hop culture. The Notorious B.I.G. mentioned about an infamously unseen character from the show, “The Gooch,” in his verse on Craig Mack’s “Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)” in 1994.
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Photo: CBS
