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Melanie Watson, 'Diff'rent Strokes' Actress, Dies at 57

Her brother reported she died in Colorado Springs following a brief hospitalization for bleeding complications.

Overview

  • Robert Watson confirmed to TMZ that his sister died on Friday, Dec. 26, in Colorado Springs at age 57.
  • She had been hospitalized for bleeding issues and her condition deteriorated quickly, according to media reports citing her family.
  • Watson was best known for portraying Kathy Gordon in four episodes of Diff'rent Strokes in the early 1980s.
  • Born with osteogenesis imperfecta, she used a wheelchair and later co-founded Train Rite, which trains shelter dogs to assist people with disabilities.
  • She left acting after the sitcom, was briefly married to Roger Bernhardt in the 1990s, and withdrew a 2020 bid for the Colorado State Senate due to health reasons.