Kagen suggested that Plato may have been used for a free meal ticket, which Plato denied, explaining that her mother's ways were so that she would not become a prima donna. Dan Obannon confirmed what actually happened to Lambert in Famous Monster #159. Dana Plato at the Sixth Annual People's Choice Awards on January 24, 1980 in Hollywood | Photo: Getty Images. She added, "He was just obviously screaming for someone to establish some kind of boundaries for him, something that never happened in his life.". After his death, his grandmother revealed that he struggled with his mother's death, and their lives had been wrapped around him. Tyler was just 14 when his mother overdosed on prescription pills (Vanadom and Vicodin). And probably because of the outpouring of shock over Ledger's death at 28 from an accidental prescription drug overdose and the hype surrounding his posthumous accolades for The Dark Knight, those twin blows to young Hollywood don't feel as if they occurred anywhere in the vicinity of each other. [13], Plato made her television acting debut at the age of 10, making a brief appearance on the NBC television show The Six Million Dollar Man. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "help" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Actress Dana Michelle Strain was born on November 7, 1964, in Maywood, California. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Along with Bobby Flax led the early '70s pop rock group Bullet. Dana Plato's son commits suicide nearly 11 years after his mom overdosed. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Clark then drove Renfro to Florida, giving the teen a chance to detox, and hired a trainer and minder for him while they madeBully. That girl looks familiar. He made the complaint in Clark County, Nevada, three days before the seventh anniversary of her death. O'Bannon: "Finally, returning to Lambert & Parker's murders, when we see the result of the creature's attack we notice that her bare legs are hung midair but we are not shown why. [13] Plato stated: "My mother made sure that I was normal. Plato was released. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Her body was cremated, and ashes dispersed into the Pacific Ocean. His family assumed she had died in her sleep, and her death was initially ruled as an accidental overdose. We also encourage everyone to report any crime incident they witness as soon as possible. Her death at the age of 34 was eventually ruled a suicide and her body was cremated. 1 more All. We had a moment. So while Linda Blair went on to huge stardom, Dana was left with roles in flicks like 1975's "Beyond the Bermuda Triangle." "I think he was the best. Lanny Lambert - Zimbio Visibly in turmoil, Tyler shot himself in the head two days before his mother's 11th death anniversary. Bullet (American band) - Wikipedia Johnny Whitaker, Plato's former manager and a friend of the family, told ABCNews.com he once tried to intervene in Lambert's drug use. Her ill-conceived grab for rent money (it was really a cry for help according to many people) sent her to jail for a short stint, but her new notoriety managed to get her work in the "no publicity is bad publicity" world of Hollywood. After Steven, the couple sired eight more children, and lived with them on welfare in an apartment above a shop. In 1991, Plato was arrested after robbing a video rental store for a miserable loot of one hundred and sixty-four dollars. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Lanny Lambert - Dana Plato's Ex-Husband Age, Biography + Net Worth I never saw her again. "It was my responsibility as a kid to regulate her pills," daughter Lorna Luft remembered to author Patti Davis in her 2009 bookThe Lives Our Mothers Leave Us. Instead, according to Plato, her accountant embezzled the majority of her savings and fled the state, leaving the star with little money and no job leads. Who's that? "He had all the opportunities in the world and we just can't understand it." Growing Pains: The Trials and Tribulations of 1980s TV Child Stars I thought, 'Wow, this kid is insanely talented, if he doesn't have some kind of familial moorings, he's going to fall off the deep end.' At one point she worked at a dry-cleaning store, where customers reported being impressed by her lack of airs. Dana Michelle Plato (ne Strain; November 7, 1964 May 8, 1999)[2][3] was an American actress. [I was] 18 [or] 19 years old drinking beer. "He wasn't ready to work on it.". I will never forget you and love you forever. You Don't Have to Be Ashamed: Steven Grossman's Tender Revolution Plato was married to Lanny Lambert, the father of her son Tyler Lambert,for seven years before they divorced in 1991. In 1995, she was in a play called "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" where she received passing grades. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. [12][42] She thereafter became engaged to Fred Potts, a filmmaker, but the romance ended. We raise awareness about these issues to help potential victims seek professional counseling and prevent anyone from getting hurt. They changed their name to Hard Stuff after the song's American release in late 1971. She was the "real" daughter of the kind Mr. Drummond where Arnold and Willy had only been adopted. Ironically, she had been offered the role of a teen prostitute that eventually went to a 13-year-oldBrooke Shields in 1978'sPretty Baby, but turned it down because she didn't want to be typecast. [12] Later on in the visit, Plato said that she felt unwell and took a few doses of a hydrocodone / acetaminophen painkiller (Lortab), along with the muscle-relaxant carisoprodol (Soma),[49] and went to lie down with Menchaca inside her Winnebago motor home, which was parked outside the house. In 1991, she was arrested attempting to rob a video store at gunpoint, and the following year she was arrested for forging a Valium prescription. All rights reserved. [1] She served thirty days in jail for violating the terms of her probation and immediately entered a drug rehabilitation program. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends). Later that month, the deputy state medical examiner ruled Plato's death a suicide; she didn't leave a note, but he factored in her history of drug abuse and depression as well as the amount of medication found in her system. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Heath Ledger, whoacted throughout the 1990sin his native Australia before breaking out in10 Things I Hate About Youat the age of 19, diedoneweek after Renfro did,unwittingly relegating the younger actor to a footnote as far as mass-media coverage was concerned. Thereafter, Plato appeared recurringly on Diff'rent Strokes from 1985 to 1986, the show's end;[25] in season 8, the episode which aired on January 17, 1986, was Plato's final appearance on the show, which showed her character suffering from bulimia. She was released from her contract later that year. Tyler was cremated just like his mother, and there was no memorial for him. cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Deadly Disneyland - When the Happiest Place on Earth Goes Rogue. She was found dead in her RV, which she shared with fiancee Robert Menchaca, during a visit with family in Oklahoma. "It was, 'Wow, how lucky are we to not have hung out with that crowd or done those things?' He was 42 and had lived a fraught life since the peak of hisDiff'rent Strokes fame, buoyed by his endlessly parroted catchphrase, "What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?". https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bullet_(American_band)&oldid=1121596331, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Roget Pontbriand keyboards, trumpet, backing vocals, This page was last edited on 13 November 2022, at 03:44. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. In 1991 she was arrested attempting to rob a video store at gunpoint, and the following year she was arrested for forging a Valium prescription. Try again later. Best known as Kimberly Drummond, the older sister on TV's "Diff'rent Strokes," Dana went through a lot while never quite escaping the scrutiny of the media and fans. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Her first excursion into the film world occurred when she was 11 in the television film Beyond the Bermuda Triangle (1975). (Dana did grab a small part in "Exorcist II: The Heretic," a film that has been voted one of the worst of all time. Sources. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. When it was revealed that she was pregnant, she was written out of Diff'rent Strokes. Following her appearance in the film, in the same year, Plato appeared in a cover story of the lesbian lifestyle-magazine Girlfriends. There are people that take advantage of other peoplein this case, young, young children.". Dana Plato. My two main competitors in the beginning, the blond-haired kids I went to audition with, one hung himself and the other died of a heroin overdose.". And it was Dana Plato from 'Diff'rent Strokes'. Her girl-next-door cuteness and seemingly effortless way with comedy won her lots of fans during the show's prime time run, which lasted from 1978 to 1986. After his death from what turned out to be acute multiple drug toxicity, including cocaine and heroin, the image of him changed toanother former child actor whose life went recklessly off the railsbut those close to himsaw a young man in pain, anatural at acting who wasn't dealing healthily with the ramifications of fame. She was arrested again in 1992 for forging a diazepam prescription. "I said, 'What the[bleep] are you doing?'" Micara went on to record and tour with Gary U.S. Bonds and play drums on film soundtracks before changing careers to public-school teaching. True Hollywood Story. Production was delayed a day while they got Renfro out of jail. The information in this article is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. She moved to Las Vegas, hoping to advance her career, but could only find retail and service industry jobs. Dana Plato was a child actress on the television show Diff'rent Strokes. [36] Night Trap received mixed to negative reviews upon release, and in retrospective has continued to polarize critics and audiences. Failed to delete flower. )The Bittersweet Irony of the Hollywood Machine, Dana's fortunes began to turn when she was spotted by a producer during a brief appearance on TV's "The Gong Show." Best Known For: Dana Plato was a child actress on the television show Diff'rent Strokes. Drafted 25th overall in the second round of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, Lambert played 283 games in the NHL for the Quebec Nordiques, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings between 1983 and 1989. Verify and try again. Is the best of the young guys," Brad Pitt said afterward. Plato died of a drug overdose in May 1999. However, even as a child star, she was said to be insecure. In January of 1992 she was arrested for forging Valium prescriptions. (she had said in more recent interviews that she was not a lesbian and was only experimenting). The record was released on the Big Tree Records label under the name "Bullet" in December 1971. Following her jail term, Dana appeared in a string of B-grade features including such sterling gems as 1992's "Bikini Beach Race" and 1995's "Compelling Evidence." ", "As River grew, he did become more and more uncomfortable being the poster boy for all good things," mom Heart Phoenix toldEsquire in 1994. She looks familiar.' She got arrested in 1991 after she stole $160 for a video store in Las Vegas and got caught after she forged a prescription for 1000 valium tablets the following year. Drag images here or select from your computer for Tyler Edward Lambert memorial. "I remember sitting in hotel rooms, opening capsules, emptying out the drugs, and filling the capsules with sugar. When he wasn't a movie star, he was a missionary. Renfro had been an unruly kid from the beginning, when he was an unknown making his acting debut inThe Clientat the age of 12 alongside Susan Sarandon in 1994. She was 34 when she died. Her death was later ruled a suicide. Life went on a downward spiral with Plato appearing on the cover of Playboy in 1989 and then some B-Rated movies. In reality, Plato was adopted, and after her adoptive parents divorced, she grew up mainly with her adoptive mother. He also would take the opportunity to cash in on his celebrity, running for governor of California in 2003 and appearing onThe Surreal Life in 2004. [41] Although she allowed a hair to be cut for the test, Stern later claimed she asked for it back after the interview. The show was a hit from its 1978 premiere, and Plato charmed audiences. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. 'Diff'rent Strokes': Todd Bridges is now the last living member of the "He wasn't. On May 7, 1999, she spoke with optimism about her new life in a radio interview on "The Howard Stern Show." [48], On May 8, 1999, Plato and Menchaca were returning to California and stopped at Menchaca's mother's home in Moore, Oklahoma, for a Mother's Day visit. [44] Entertainer Wayne Newton posted her $13,000 bail,[43] and Plato was given five years' probation. Former Child Stars Nominated for Emmy Awards, Reality TV Curse: 23 Divorces That Came After Cameras Invaded, The Sad, Public Struggles of Etika and More Shocking YouTube Star Tragedies, Inside the Endlessly Bizarre Aftermath of Brittany Murphy's Sudden Death, Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images, Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images, speaking out on behalf of those who didn't. She claimed the accountant was never found nor prosecuted despite an exhaustive search, and that he had also stolen more than $11 million of other people's money. The next day, she was found dead by her fiance. Eleven years after Plato died, Tyler Lambert committed suicide at age 25. The star ofStand by Me,Running on EmptyandMy Own Private Idaho was leaving the Viper Room, a club on the Sunset Stripthat's still there to this day but at the time had just openedwith Johnny Depp as a co-owner, when he collapsed in the early morning hours of Oct. 31, 1993. After their divorce in 1990, Lambert took custody of their son, who later suffered from depression and shot himself in the head. The Tulsa, Okla., office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed to ABCNews.com that Lambert died last week from a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head. Toward the end of her career, Plato chose roles that were erotic;[39] she appeared nude in Prime Suspect (1989) and Compelling Evidence (1995), and in the softcore erotic drama Different Strokes: The Story of Jack and Jilland Jill (1998), the title of which was changed after filming in order to tie it to Plato's past. He is the head coach for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Lanny Lambert is a rock guitarist who is famous as the former partner of Dana Michelle Plato, an American actress who is an influential "teen idol" of the late 1970s and 1980s. Read More . Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. "Dana Plato, 34, Star of 'Diff'rent Strokes', "Diff'rent Strokes' Todd Bridges Remembers Dana Plato on What Would've Been Her 55th Birthday: 'You're Free My friend', "The Most Heartbreaking Teen Star Tragedies", "AmIAnnoying.com - VH-1's 100 Greatest Kid Stars", "Inside the Most Heartbreaking Teen Star Tragedies", "Tragic Story behind 'Diff'rent Strokes' Star Dana Plato's Death That Greatly Affected Her Son", "Dana Plato's son, Tyler Lambert, commits suicide 11 years after 'Diff'rent Strokes' star overdosed", "Growing Pains: The Trials and Tribulations of 1980s TV Child Stars", "Late 'Diff'Rent Strokes' Star Dana Plato Once Revealed That Mom Kept Her in a 'Plastic Bubble', "Exorcist director says sequel is 'one of the worst films I've ever seen', "California Suite (1978) - Financial Information", "Dana Plato About This Person Movies & TV", "Stars of yesterday team with those of today", "Stars who struggled to find success after being on a hit TV show", "The Making Of Night Trap, The World's Most Famous Video Game Nasty", "Corey Haim and 10 Other Troubled 1980s Child Stars", "Controversial '90s Game 'Night Trap' Coming to Nintendo Switch", "Different Strokes: The Story of Jack & Jill and Jill (1998)", "20 Actor Mamas Who Were Written Out Due To Their Pregnancies", "Dana Plato's final interview with Howard Stern", "VIDEO VAULT: Child actress Dana Plato robs a Vegas video store in 1991", "Stern: Dana Tried Desperately To Dodge Drug Test", "Death of 'Diff'rent Strokes' Actress Ruled A Suicide", "Death of Actress Dana Plato in Oklahoma Ruled a Suicide", "Doctor rules Dana Plato's death suicide", "Long Island News From the Long Island Press", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dana_Plato&oldid=1152510895, Actresses from Los Angeles County, California, American people convicted of drug offenses, Articles with dead external links from October 2022, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from February 2023, Turner Classic Movies person ID same as Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Best Young Actress in a Television Special, This page was last edited on 30 April 2023, at 17:39. 1 child. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,.css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}contact us! I was to call my father or someone elseNEVER an ambulance because it would get into the press.". He was 25. He recalled being raped at 3 by the brother of his father's not-so-secret girlfriend. Pontbriand later played trombone for K.C. "You just wanted to take care of this boy," talent manager J.J. Harris remembered to the Seattle Times in 2008. She died of an overdose on May 8, 1999, at age 34. Plato appeared regularly on the show throughout its run, notably top-billed for four years. And when the toxicology reports come in, I'm sure they will show something.". On May 8, 1999, the troubled 34-year-old actress overdosed on prescription pain killers after her character, Kimberly Drummond, was written off the hit show in 1984 amid rumors of a drug problem.. While there, she complained of tiredness and the need to rest. Sadly and tragically, she never awoke from her sleep. [12][clarification needed], On May 7, 1999, the day before she died, Plato appeared on The Howard Stern Show. But rehab didn't take for Plato, who died of an overdose on May 8, 1999, at age 34. May 13, 2010— -- Tyler Lambert once aspired to follow his famous mother, "Diff'rent Strokes" actress Dana Plato, into show business. The couple divorced in 1990, and Lanny Lambert was given custody of Tyler. After taking a few doses of painkillers and muscle relaxants, she lay down to rest. Hollywood and associated environs are full of actors and singers who started young and, whether you know who they are or not as adults, are doing just fine. Dana Plato at the Hollywood Collectors Show | Photo: Getty Images. He died on 6 May 2010 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. Learn all about Lanny Lambert on AllMusic. advocates for a healthy discussion about the instances of violence, abuse, sexual misconduct, animal cruelty, abuse etc. She appeared in B-movies and video games, eventually agreeing to star in adult films for quick cash. "He had so much compassion for everyone and everything that he had a weight on his heart," added Mathis. Coleman, 42, has had a number of health emergencies this year, including a seizure he suffered on the set of "The Insider" in February. Dino added that his brush with Plato will be included in his upcoming book, which he is "slowly" working on. She was raised in San Fernando Valley and was an accomplished figure skater before acting, having trained for the Olympic Games. We had a connection. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. The otherblond-haired kid was Jonathan Brandis, a star of the original It miniseries at 12, the 16-year-old heartthrob from 1992'sLadybugsandstar of the sci-fi series SeaQuest DSV, which lasted three seasons between 1993 and 1996. In 1983, she starred in the television film High School U.S.A. as Cara Ames, alongside Diff'rent Strokes co-star Todd Bridges, who played Otto Lipton. [12], In 1995, during an appearance on The Marilyn Kagen Show alongside co-star Todd Bridges, she spoke of her childhood with her mother, commenting how she had not learned "reality and life skills". For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Life took a turn for the worse in 1988, when her mother died the same week that she and her husband split up. Check out the hottest fashion, photos, movies and TV shows! Lambert, a cameraman and amateur songwriter, had been experimenting with drugs and alcohol, Richardson said, which she thinks contributed to his death. Failed to delete memorial. 5 years later they divorced on 15th Mar 1990. And then she started talking about television; she was talking about a television show. We shot the promotional photos for Bullet in Central Park the day after we met Ernie. He was 27 when he hanged himself in the hallway of his L.A. apartment in 2003. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. And by the time she was 18, she got pregnant by her then 21-year-old boyfriend, Lanny Lambert, and was written off the show. She was. In 1990 she made a brief attempt at a musical career, sponsored by producer Howie Rice. In a bid to drown out the pain of losing his mother, Tyler Lambert, son of Dana Plato, takes his own life two days before his mum's 11th death anniversary. The world was our fun playground," DiCaprio, who won an Oscar in 2016 and is a shoo-in to get his sixth acting nod forOnce Upon a Timein Hollywood this coming award season, told Rolling Stone in 2010. It was her. On May 6, 2010, two days before the eleventh anniversary of Plato's death, her 25-year-old son Tyler died by suicide. Plato violated the terms of her probation, however, by forging prescriptions for Valium. Johnny Whitaker, Plato's former manager and a friend of the family, told ABCNews.com he once tried to intervene in Lambert's drug use. ", Remarking on what was said at his memorial, all the people comforting each other with thoughts of Phoenix in heaven, or as energy now all around them, Plimpton cracked, "You would have thought he was 90 and had died in his sleep. Lanny Lambert. [45][46], In January 1992, Plato was arrested a second time, for forging a prescription for diazepam. It featured actors who at the time were unknown, as well as Bridges, who made a cameo appearance. "I took an 11-year break back to Canada," Haim sarcastically explained his absence from acting to GQ in 2008. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. "She deliberately got pregnant while doing the series," his co-star Conrad Bain told People. "I don't know if it's reflective of child actors exactly, but more about whether child actors have enough of a familial foundation to withstand the difficulties," Rob Reiner, who directed Phoenix in Stand by Me, toldThe Guardianin 2018. Dana Plato Age + Biography + Death. Coleman, 42, fell ill at his Santaquin, Utah, home Wednesday evening and was rushed by ambulance to a hospital, the spokesman said in a statement released Friday. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. [10][11], On November 7, 2019, on what would have been Plato's 55th birthday, Bridges commented on Twitter about their friendship,[57] leaving a tribute to Plato:[2] "You were the one person I could always talk to. Growing up, she struggled to establish herself and to land new roles. All content, including text, and images contained on news.AmoMama.com, or available through news.AmoMama.com is for general information purposes only. He said, 'Even though my parents divorced, I always had a good relationship with both of them.' Dana Plato and Lanny Lambert - Dating, Gossip, News, Photos. Dana Plato - Biography The interview began to go downhill however, when the phones were opened up to callers. And I was, like, 'Wow. Before undertaking any course of treatment please consult with your healthcare provider. Learn more about merges. [10][11], Plato separated from Lambert in January 1988, the same week her mother died of scleroderma. news.AmoMama.com does not support or promote any kind of violence, self-harm, or abusive behavior. One of most haunting examples of drugs ruiningareal-deal acting career was the Jan. 15, 2008, death of Brad Renfro, star ofThe Client, Tom and Huck, Sleepers,Apt Pupiland more until addiction destroyed his life. But he also said Lambert thought he had a closer relatonship with his mother than he really did. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. She revealed her new, mature image in a 1989 Playboy photo shoot, but no big Hollywood offers came as a result of the magazine spread. It's going to help me in all phases of my life.". The only thing that she did, the mistake she made, was that she kept me in a plastic bubble. "Emotionally they did. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. She will be 58 years in 2022 and has a height of 5 ft 1 in (1.57 m). Lanny Lambert was the husband of 'Diff'rent Strokes' star Dana Plato. In addition to her most famous role, Plato appeared in episodes on many television programs. (Price and Coleman had continued to live together after divorcing in 2008 and she had the power to make medical decisions for him.). "He's all dehydrated and feels terrible," Clark recalled shooting the next day. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Copyright 2003, Reel Reviews. The role earned Plato acclaim, and nominations for a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series and two TV Land Awards for Best Quintessential Non-Traditional Family. She was adopted by Dean and Kay Plato and raised in the San Fernando Valley. Judy Garland, a child performer in vaudeville before she signed with MGM as a teenager, was one of the young studio stars prescribed amphetamines to stay awake and barbiturates to help her sleep.