Broadcast museum to host tribute to 1980s icon

(Above) Gary Coleman (right) in 1979 with fellow comedic actor Lucille Ball. (Photo by Associated Press.)

30-May-13 – Gary Coleman’s path toward television icon status started north of Chicago and will fittingly be recognized next month at the Museum of Broadcast Communications. An exhibition about the Zion native will run June 26 to September 14. It will follow a fundraising event at the museum on June 22 that will celebrate the “sights, sounds, and stars” of the 1980s.

Gary died at age 42 in 2010 one day after falling and hitting his head. His adopted parents, William and Edmonia Coleman, have donated personal and professional artifacts to the museum and will appear in person at a discussion on July 20. Also appearing will be Norman Lear, producer of Diff’rent Strokes, the sitcom in which Coleman starred from 1978 to 1986, and former NBC president Fred Silverman.

Coleman appeared in 25 films, 36 television shows, and five music videos. He is on a list by VH1 of the “100 greatest child stars” of television.

Despite a successful acting career as a child, Coleman struggled financially as an adult. In 1989, he sued his parents and former business advisors, claiming misappropriation of assets, and was awarded $1.28 million. Chronic illness his entire life limited his height to four feet seven inches.