NEWSDustin Diamond Will Be Cremated, His Ashes Will Be Split Between His Dad & Girlfriend As He Didn’t Want His Grave Vandalized
Late actor Dustin Diamond will reportedly be cremated — which was "one of his final wishes" — after he passed away on Monday, February 1, from cancer.
The 44-year-old, who was best known for his role as Samuel "Screech" Powers on Saved by the Bell, will have his ashes separated into two urns so it can be shared between his father, Mark Diamond, and his girlfriend, who is known as Tash.
Pal Dan Block said that Diamond did not want to be buried beneath a tombstone because he was afraid it would be defaced since he was a public figure. He also said there are no plans to spread the ashes yet.
"He was the love of my life. We planned on a future together and spoke often about having kids. I'm heartbroken," Tash told the Daily Mail earlier this week.
"Even though he was struggling to breathe and had difficulty speaking he was able to get out the words to me, 'I love you,' I told him I loved him back."
"Dustin died at our friend Jules' house in the Fort Meyers, Florida area," she revealed.
Diamond had been released from the hospital and was taken to a friend’s house by medical personal for hospice care, according to the Daily Mail. He was on a gurney in the front room, while his bedroom was being prepared.
"After I got out of our car I went into the house to be with Dustin. That was when I discovered he wasn't breathing," Tash explained.
Diamond died shortly after.
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Diamond was diagnosed with stage 4 small cell carcinoma only three weeks before his death.
The actor reportedly had a lump on his neck, which he had been ignoring, as he feared a cancer diagnosis since the disease runs in his family. Diamond lost his mom, Jaimee, to breast cancer in 1996, while Diamond’s brother, Ryan, passed away in 1983 from a heart condition when he was 8 years old.
Block said that Diamond called him before Thanksgiving 2020, telling him he thought he was sick.
"I said is it worse than your MRSA?" Block asked after the actor had been diagnosed with the condition in 2019.
Diamond "confessed to me that he first noticed the lump in his jawbone neck area around mid-summer but resisted to go to the hospital for fear of being recognized and making fun of him."
"Dustin told me the lump was on the left side of his neck right underneath the jawbone neck area. He sent me a picture of it and it was the size of a golf ball. He told me that Tash wanted him to go to the doctor to have it checked out," Block added. "After finally going to the doctor and having the tumor biopsied he was told he had cancer."
"Justin told me the cancer started in his spine and he had lesions on it and then it spread to other parts of his body."
Diamond’s dying wishes were to take his girlfriend to see the Star Wars attractions at Disney World and to meet Tool bassist Justin Chancellor. Sadly, none of those wishes came true.
TMZ was the first to report that Diamond will be cremated.
