Bonded by Bayside.
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On Jan. 14, Dustin Diamond's reps confirmed that the former "Saved By The Bell" star has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy. A few hours later, one of Dustin's "Bayside High" classmates reveled that he reached to the ailing actor.
"I connected with Dustin earlier this evening and although the news of his diagnosis is heartbreaking, we remain positive that he'll overcome this," Mario Lopez tweeted alongside two pictures from the nostalgic show. "Praying for him & his family and for a speedy recovery. God Bless."
On Jan. 11, multiple reports revealed that Dustin had been hospitalized after feeling uneasy and experiencing pain all over his body. He also discovered a lump in his throat. Dustin's medical team felt it was "likely" cancer, and on Jan. 14, TMZ reported that those fears were confirmed. Dustin, the webloid explained, has stage 4 cancer and is also experiencing pain from shingles.
His rep later confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that Dustin, who famously played Screech, had already started chemotherapy.
"It's serious, but we don't know how serious yet," Dustin's rep told EW. "He's at an undisclosed hospital in Florida and will probably go home after treatments. We just want him to get well soon."
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Dustin's health issues come amid the recent revival of the sitcom on Peacock. Several of Dustin's former castmates star in the new show, but the actor who played Screech wasn't offered a gig, perhaps given his fallout with the majority of the cast over the years.
In 2009, he released a book titled "Behind the Bell" that painted a dark picture of the show, alleging drug use and backstabbing. Most of the cast spoke out against the book, calling it fiction. In 2014, Lifetime released a movie largely based on the book: "The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story."
Dustin eventually said he didn't write the book and apologized for it.
There is buzz that Dustin might make an appearance on the revival. "They've been talking, so we're keeping our fingers crossed," his reps said.