Was Dustin Diamond Poor At The Time Of His Death?
Former childhood star Dustin Diamond passed away on February 1, just one month after he was hospitalized and diagnosed with extensive-stage small cell carcinoma of the lungs. Though he was quick to start chemotherapy for his cancer, doctors weren’t aware of how far the disease had already spread through his body.
Diamond’s former co-stars on the hit show Saved by the Bell were absolutely stunned by his passing. Even though many of them no longer shared close ties with the actor, following the release of his controversial 2009 book Behind The Bell, they were sure to pay tribute on their social media handles.
With that said, it didn’t go unnoticed that before Diamond’s death, the late actor had been caught up in a lot of scandals concerning his finances and comments about his former co-stars.
According to Celeb Net Worth, the California native was worth no more than $300,000 at the time of his death — but what exactly happened with Diamond’s finances? Here’s the lowdown…
Dustin Diamond’s Net Worth
Reports claim Diamond was worth $300,000 at the time of his death in February 2021.
After Saved by the Bell had wrapped, while some of his cast members — such as Mario Lopez — went on to achieve even bigger careers away from the sitcom, Diamond didn’t have the same luck.
He starred in a string of low-budget movies and a couple of failed pilots. He had repressed his role as Screech one last time in Saved by the Bell: The New Classic, but after its final run in 2000, Diamond was mainly seen in low-budget movies such as Longshot where he was cast as a waiter.
After spending 11 years on one of the most beloved TV shows, it was hard to believe that Diamond was now booking roles as an extra.
After dipping in and out of his acting career, Diamond went on to release his super controversial book, Behind The Bell, where he shares stories about his former co-stars — but his remarks were far from kind.
Aside from telling on himself, saying he had slept with over 2,000 women, he alleged that most of his former cast members were hooking up with each other, going as far as to insist that Lopez and Mark-Paul Gosselaar were known for hooking up with the most females on set.
"If Kelly [Tiffani Thiessen] was interested in Slater [Mario Lopez] one week, then backstage there was a lot going between them in Mario's room," he shared in his book. "Then, if Jessie [Elizabeth Berkley] kisses Zack, then you know Elizabeth Berkley is going in Mark-Paul's room.”
The juicy book also touched on Gosselaar’s alleged drug abuse, with Diamond claiming that the actor was taking steroids which had a huge effect on his behavior while taping scenes for the show.
"He suddenly exploded with manliness, loading 25 pounds of muscle on his once-scrawny frame in, oh, about a month,” he asserted, having also shared how Lopez allegedly assaulted a woman. According to Diamond, he "lured [a woman] back to his pad... and [she] was forced to have intercourse against her will.”
Lopez alongside many other cast members were quick to deny these stories, and while it’s unclear how much Diamond made for putting out such an explosive book, considering how much attention it received from the press, it’s fair to assume he made a significant amount of money from sales.
While his acting career continued to tank, Diamond was still making pretty big bucks as a TV personality, having appeared on Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity Big Brother UK, where he was reportedly paid an estimated $120,000 just to compete.
Following Diamond’s passing, Lopez was one of the first to share a tribute to his former pal, who he may not have been close to prior to his death but certainly shared plenty of teenage memories with.
"From when I found out he was sick to his passing, it's been incredibly quick. It's so fresh, it's incredibly hard to process," the 47-year-old told Variety in February 2021. "And it's shocking because he was so young; he was only 44. I honestly thought, 'There's no way [he won't make it]. It sucks, but he'll bounce back.”
Saved by the Bell alumnus Tiffani Theissen echoed similar words in an Instagram post, writing, “I am deeply saddened by I the news of my old co-star @realdustindiamond passing. Life is extremely fragile and it’s something we should never take for granted. God speed Dustin. 💔”
Diamond had just wrapped work on the upcoming comedy The Curse of the Zombie Pirates opposite actress Tara Reid. No word on when the film will be released, but it will serve as Diamond’s last movie role before his untimely passing.
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