Dustin Diamond's net worth: Here's why he sold 30,000 T-shirts that read ‘I paid $15 to save Screech's house’
Dustin Diamond, best known for playing the role of Samuel "Screech" Powers in ‘Saved by the Bell’, died Monday morning on February 1 after a battle with cancer. Diamond, who is famous for directing and releasing his own sex tape — ‘Screeched: Saved by the Smell’ — was diagnosed with small-cell lung carcinoma on January 14, 2021, and was undergoing chemotherapy in Florida.
Diamond was 44 years old at the time of his death. Throughout his short career, Diamond tried his hands at several acting projects but had a major inclination towards music, directing, and stand-up comedy gigs.
Diamond’s representative confirmed the news of his passing to PEOPLE in a statement that read, “We are saddened to confirm of Dustin Diamond's passing on Monday, February 1st, 2021 due to carcinoma. He was diagnosed with this brutal, relentless form of malignant cancer only three weeks ago. In that time, it managed to spread rapidly throughout his system; the only mercy it exhibited was its sharp and swift execution. Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful.”
RELATED ARTICLES:
Diamond had a troubled life with the law. In 2014, he was arrested in Wisconsin for possession of a switchblade knife, which he was alleged to have pulled out during a bar altercation in which a man was stabbed. In 2015, he was sentenced to four months in prison but was released a month early on probation, only to get arrested in May 2016 after violating his probation terms.
Dustin Diamond’s net worth
Diamond became an international sensation after playing the nerdy and lovable Powers on the sitcom ‘Saved by the Bell’, an iconic role which he played for 13 long years. After the success of ‘Saved by the Bell’, he began doing stand-up comedy and toured on and off. He was also featured on a number of game and reality TV shows, including ‘The Weakest Link’ and ‘Celebrity Boxing 2’.
Diamond was a huge fan and supporter of professional wrestling. He later appeared as a contestant on Hulk Hogan’s ‘Celebrity Championship Wrestling’. As per Celebrity Net Worth, Diamond had a net worth of $300,000.
While working on ‘Saved by the Bell’, Dustin tried his hands at several real estate ventures. However, he failed to make some good money out of it. In 2001, he filed for bankruptcy in California. Five years later, he appeared on ‘The Howard Stern Show’ where he asked his listeners to visit his eCommerce website and purchase some 30,000 autographed T-shirts that read “I paid $15.00 to save Screeech’s house” in order to raise $250,000 and avoid foreclosure on his house.
Diamond called the entire situation an injustice that could happen to anyone and added back then that the money the audience would give him would be extremely helpful in his hour of need. “I just don't get paid $250,000 in 30 days,” said Diamond. “It's not retirement money, OK? It's supersize-it money if anything.”
After his death, Diamond's team posted, “We are thankful he trusted us enough to share his genuine, authentic self with our team. We wish you knew him in the way that we did... This loss is as much stinging as it is sudden.”