Gary Coleman`s parents were "shocked" by his death
The former child star suffered an intracranial haemorrhage after he fell and hit his head at his Utah home on Wednesday. He was rushed to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center but slipped into a coma. His friends and family made the decision to switch off his life support on Friday morning. He was 42 years old.
Gary`s parents Sue and Willie Coleman have now spoken about their heartbreak. Gary had not spoken to his parents for over ten years. His famously sued them in 1989 for allegedly stealing his multimillion-dollar fortune and had barely contacted them since.
Sue, 67, and Willie, 71, have long-denied Gary`s accusations of theft, and insist they lived in hope Gary would choose to reconcile with them again.
"We would`ve loved to have been there by his side at the hospital, to let him know we love him before he passed away," Sue told People magazine. "This is a shock to us. We loved Gary very much. We`re going to miss him.
" Gary wanted to live his life the way he wanted to live it, on his own terms and that`s what we let him do. But our address and phone number haven`t changed for more than 20 years. He could`ve gotten in touch with us any time he wanted to. We were always open to him and he knew that we loved him."
Gary shot to fame when he starred in TV series Diff`rent Strokes in the 70s and 80s. He has since starred in a series of TV shows and feature films.
He is survived by his wife Shannon Price, 24.
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