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Diff’rent Strokes’ Actor Melanie Watson Bernhardt Dies at 57

She lived with osteogenesis imperfecta, a brittle bone disorder that shaped her brief TV career and public profile.

Overview

  • Her brother, Robert Watson, told TMZ she died on Dec. 26 in Colorado Springs after a hospital stay for bleeding issues.
  • Outlets report her condition deteriorated rapidly in the hospital, and no official medical cause beyond the family’s account has been released.
  • Watson was best known for playing Kathy Gordon in four episodes of the 1980s sitcom Diff’rent Strokes.
  • She retired from acting after the series ended and later was married to Roger Bernhardt from 1994 to 1996.
  • Several reports, citing IMDb, note her involvement with Train Rite, a service-dog training effort, as fans and colleagues share tributes online.