Dustin Diamond’s surprising autopsy – untreated illness, sudden death and body pain

Dustin Diamond first shot to fame back in 1989 when she took on the role of Samuel “Screech” Powers on Saved by the Bell.

The show which ran for four years in its original run, catapulted Dustin to stardom, as he became one of the most popular actors on the show – despite only being a recurring character. After the programme ended, Dustin continued to cash in on his time on the show, appearing in several spinoffs throughout the 1990s.

But sadly, Dustin tragically passed away at the tender age of 44 after a short illness. His death triggered an outpouring of support and tributes from his fellow actors and fans of the show alike.

READ MORE: Saved By The Bell’s Dustin Diamond ‘in tears with pain’ during Stage 4 cancer treatment

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However, in the post-mortem following his death, some surprising revelations were discovered about Diamond’s life and how he sadly died. So, as the world mourns for Dustin on what would have been his 47th birthday, Daily Star looks at the surprising revelations behind Dustin Diamond’s autopsy.

Mystery illness

In a last blow to his career, a reboot of Saved by the Bell was confirmed by producers in 2019, but sadly had Dustin written out from the show. However, this may have been a good thing for Diamond as he was battling an unexplainable illness at the time.

After complaining of feeling ill and becoming short of breath, Dustin was eventually diagnosed with small-cell carcinoma. The disease is most similar to that of lung cancer and is particularly aggressive in its growth, with its cell reproduction stage being almost double that of normal cancers.

After receiving the diagnosis, Dustin’s symptoms worsened extremely, as he was gradually debilitated and suffered from heavy coughing fits and immense weight loss. This would be indicative of how aggressive his condition was and how quickly his health would decline.

Quick passing

Typically, people who are diagnosed with small-cell carcinoma are given relatively short spans to live. In usual cases, those who have aggressive forms of the disease can live for anywhere between five months and two years from when they were first diagnosed.

But sadly, Dustin was the far extreme of this timeline, as he died just three weeks after being given the diagnosis. The prognosis given by doctors is relative to the spread of the disease in the body, and while it is not know how long Dustin was given left to live, it certainly would have been longer than what he actually saw.

Diamond died on February 1, 2021 – much to the surprise of his friends and family. Many of his Saved by the Bell co-stars paid tribute to his life upon hearing the news of his passing.

Mario Lopez, who played A.C. Slater on the hit show was particularly affected by Dustin’s death. Taking to Twitter, he wrote: “Dustin you will be missed my man.

“The fragility of this life is something never to be taken for granted,” he continued. “Prayers for your family will continue on…”

Surprising details

After Dustin passed away, a post-mortem on his body was carried out. Following the autopsy, it was confirmed that small-cell carcinoma was responsible for Dustin’s tragic death.

After carrying out the post mortem, it was revealed that Dustin had been suffering with the disease for quite some time before he was diagnosed. The cancer had gone undetected for a while until Dustin had started to notice what he described at the time as “full body pains”.

It was also revealed that the cancer had mutated from another part of his body, but had settled within his lungs, although the original source was not found. As Dustin was not a smoker, it raised questions as to how the disease came to be inside his body at all.

However, in a shocking twist, Dustin once revealed that due to the nature of his job as a child star, he had grown accustomed to staying in cheap motel rooms as he travelled for work. He stated that he may have been exposed to the likes of mold and asbestos, which could have accelerated the rate at which his cancer progressed.

Unfortunately, Dustin’s own theory about his condition is impossible to confirm. However, Dustin’s passing will be remembered as one of the most shocking for how quick his health deteriorated.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk