In mid-January, it emerged that Dustin Diamond had been diagnosed with cancer and that the condition was serious.

He underwent his first chemotherapy treatment shortly thereafter.

Known as Screech

The actor and stand-up comedian was best known for his role as the nerdy character Samuel "Screech" Powers in the TV series Pang in the Plug which aired between 1989 and 1993. The series received several sequels and Diamond came to play the character for over a decade.

However, life after Pang in the plug became tougher for Diamond.

In the mid-2000s, he was close to bankruptcy.

Controversial book

In 2009, the ghost-written book "Behind the Bell" was released in which he described events that are said to have taken place behind the scenes during the filming of Pang in the Plug.

Several of the stories were, to say the least, unflattering to his former co-actors and led to some controversy when the book was published.

He later admitted that parts of the content were fictitious and apologized to his former colleagues.

Dustin Diamond appeared in several reality shows in the United States, including "Celebrity Fit Club," "Celebrity Boxing 2" and "Celebrity Championship Wrestling."