Mario Lopez and Tori Spelling share tributes to ‘Saved By the Bell’ star Dustin Diamond: ‘A true comedic genius’

The comedy actor, who found fame as Samuel 'Screech' Powers in the hit teen TV show, is fondly remembered by his co-stars

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  Dustin Diamond, who died on Monday, won the role of Samuel 'Screech' Powers at the age of 11, beating 5,000 other actors to win the part. NBCU Photo Bank

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  Diamond reprised his character Samuel 'Screech' Powers in 'Saved By the Bell - The College Years', which ran from 1993 to 1994. From left to right: Anne Tremko as Leslie Burke, Mario Lopez as AC Slater, Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski, Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zack Morris, Kiersten Warren as Alex Tabor, and Dustin Diamond as Screech Powers. Getty Images

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  PeacockTV, the streaming arm of NBCUniversal, which rebooted 'Saved By The Bell' last year, paid tribute to Diamond, who they said would 'forever be a part of the Bayside family.' Instagram

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  Diamond pictured alongside his 'Saved By the Bell' co-star Lisa Voorhies, who played Lisa Turtle in the show. She told 'Variety': 'Words cannot express the grief that I am feeling right now. Dustin and I had a warm and special friendship, he was a caring gentleman, and my memories of him will always be cherished.' NBCU Photo Bank

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  Actor and presenter Mario Lopez, who played sports-mad ladies man AC Slater in the show, said he would miss his late co-star. Instagram

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  Dustin Diamond on the set of 'Saved By the Bell.' He said of his early career: 'The hardest thing about being a child star is giving up your childhood. You don't get a childhood, really.' NBCU Photo Bank

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  Actress Erin Murphy, who plays Tabitha on 'Bewitched', offered a social media tribute to her 'friend'. Instagram

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  Cyrus Bolooki, the drummer for US rock band New found Glory, tweeted that he would miss Diamond's famous sense of humour. Twitter

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  Elizabeth Berkley, who played Jessie Spano in 'Saved By the Bell', called Dustin Diamond a 'true gifted talent'. Instagram

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  Dustin Diamond poses for a portrait during the 2007 Sundance Film Festival in Park City. He died aged 44, just three weeks after being diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. AFP

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  Tiffani Thiessen, who played Kelly Kapowski in 'Saved By the Bell', shared a recent photo of the late actor Dustin Diamond, as she paid tribute. Instagram

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  Podcaster Henry Zebrowski shared a fond memory of working with the late actor, who he praised for being 'human and funny'. Instagram

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  Actress Tori Spelling appeared on 'Saved By the Bell' as Screech's love interest, Violet Bickerstaff. 'Such a young gentleman. He was kind, smart, and always making everyone laugh. He was a great scene partner. He was a really good guy,' she wrote on Instagram. Getty Images

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  In his later career, Diamond was a staple on many reality TV shows, including the UK's 'Celebrity Big Brother'. Getty Images

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  Actor and producer Josiah Johnson summed up how most fans of the popular TV show felt, by saying that Screech and 'Saved By the Bell' was 'a part of our lives'. Instagram

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  Professional wrestler Matt Cardona kept things short and sweet, as he tweeted a tribute to the late actor. Twitter

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  The actor tried his hand at being a stand-up comic after 'Saved By the Bell' ended in 2000, when he was 23. AFP

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  'Minions' screenwriter Brian Lynch tweeted that he believed Diamond could have enjoyed a successful career resurgence. Twitter

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  Diamond's 'Saved By The Bell' co-star Mark-Paul Gosselaar shared a touching tribute to a 'true comedic genius'. Instagram

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  In 2015, the actor was sentenced to four months in prison after being convicted of two misdemeanours stemming from a fight in a bar on Christmas Day in 2014. AP

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  Although Dustin Diamond appeared in the three original iterations of 'Saved by the Bell', his character Screech was not featured in the 2020 reboot alongside the original cast members. AP

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  Actress Tori Spelling took to Instagram to reveal that Diamond's character Screech was her first onscreen kiss, and that she would never forget his kindness on set. Instagram

"Gentleman" has been the word most used to describe Saved By the Bell actor, Dustin Diamond, who died on Monday at the age of 44.

His death followed a three-week hospitalisation with stage-four lung cancer. His agent, Roger Paul, said: “Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful.”

As tributes flooded in from his co-stars, Tori Spelling, who played his character Screech’s love interest, and Lark Voorhies, who took on the role of Lisa Turtle in the show, both highlighted the late actor’s gentlemanly conduct and caring behaviour.

"Dustin and I had a warm and special friendship, he was a caring gentleman and my memories of him will always be cherished," Voorhies told Variety.

Spelling remembered how he "welcomed me with open arms onto the set".

Other co-stars, including Elizabeth Berkley, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez and Tiffani Thiessen, all took to social media to share their condolences and memories.

“Dustin, you will be missed my man. The fragility of this life is something never to be taken for granted. Prayers for your family will continue on,” wrote Lopez, who played AC Slater.

Gosselaar, who played Zack Morris on the long-running show, added: “Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dustin Diamond, a true comedic genius. My sincere condolences to his family and friends. Looking back at our time working together, I will miss those raw, brilliant sparks that only he was able to produce. A pie in your face, my comrade.”

At the age of 11, Diamond beat 5,000 other actors to land the role as Samuel "Screech" Powers in the Disney show Good Morning, Miss Bliss. His character was then featured in the late-'80s spin-off, Saved by the Bell, followed by Saved By the Bell: The College Years and Saved By the Bell: The New Class. He was 23 by the time the show finally wrapped.

"The hardest thing about being a child star is giving up your childhood," he said in a Where Are They Now? interview for Oprah Winfrey Network in 2013. "You're a performer, you have to know your lines and rehearse and practise, making sure you are the funniest and the best you can be. Because if you weren't funny, you could be replaced."

The actor was one of the only main cast members not to be featured in last year's Saved By the Bell reboot.

"Dustin Diamond brought so much joy to so many people for years," wrote Minions screenwriter Brian Lynch. "I wish he could have had a second act where he turned everything around."

Scroll through the gallery above for all the tributes, plus a look at the life and career of Dustin Diamond.