Actress Melanie Watson, known for playing Kathy Gordon on the popular sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, has died at 57.
According to TMZ, Melanie Watson died Dec. 26 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her brother Robert Watson said, "She had recently been hospitalized and receiving treatment when her condition worsened."
Watson was an actor who used a wheelchair due to congenital osteogenesis imperfecta (commonly called "brittle bone syndrome"). Despite this personal condition, she appeared four times on Diff'rent Strokes and made a strong impression as the character Kathy Gordon. In particular, the 1982 episode "Kathy" and the 1984 episode "Kathy's Olympics" are considered her signature installments. The series starred the late Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges and aired for eight seasons from 1978 to 1986.
Watson's activities after acting were also meaningful. She founded the shelter dog training organization Train Rite to help people with disabilities and continued her social work. In her personal life, she was married to Robert Bernhard from 1994 to 1996.
In a 2020 interview with IndieWire, Watson reflected on her signature work, saying, "I didn't know its meaning at the time, but the very fact that a character with a disability appeared on TV was a great gift." She added, "I am proud of Norman Lear's courage to break existing conventions and try something new," and said, "If I could choose again, I would have continued acting."
Melanie Watson, who shifted the focus of her life from childhood stardom to social action. Her acting and message are expected to remain in many people's memories.
[Photo] Diff'rent Strokes still
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