How Did Gary Coleman Die? Inside the Former Child Star’s Sudden Death (and Why His Family Suspects His Ex-Wife Was Involved)

NEED TO KNOW

• Diff’rent Strokes star Gary Coleman suffered a head injury after falling in his home in May 2010

• His ex-wife, Shannon Price, took him off of life support two days later

• Questions regarding the circumstances of Coleman’s death (and Price’s involvement) have lingered 15 years later

News of Gary Coleman’s sudden death both shocked and confused his fans.

The child star who rose to fame in the ‘70s and ‘80s for his breakout role on Diff’rent Strokes died on May 28, 2010, after suffering a brain hemorrhage. His ex-wife, Shannon Price, claimed he fell in the Utah home they shared after their year-long marriage ended in 2008.

Despite police saying there was no evidence of foul play and ruling his death accidental in October 2010, per The Salt Lake Tribune, friends and family of Coleman have long been suspicious of Price’s involvement.

In July 2025, she volunteered to take a lie detector test in A&E’s docuseries Lie Detector: Truth or Deception, hoping to put the rumors to rest. But her results were inconclusive when she was asked about striking Coleman during their relationship and withholding aid after he fell.

Though she claimed she didn’t physically cause his fall, the lie detector flagged her response as deceptive. Still, Price maintained her innocence.

“I’m at peace,” she told Lie Detector: Truth or Deception host Tony Harris. “There is a reason I am not in prison. There is a legit reason for that. It’s because they did a thorough investigation.”

So, how did Gary Coleman die? Here’s everything to know about the child star’s sudden death and whether or not his ex-wife was involved.

How did Gary Coleman die?

On May 28, 2010, Coleman died after suffering a brain hemorrhage.

According to Price — who was allegedly living with the actor as a “roommate” at the time — she was in bed while he was making her dinner when she heard a “big loud boom.” She found Coleman in the kitchen, lying in a pool of blood, and called 911.

In a recording of the call played in the 2024 Peacock documentary GARY, Price can be heard refusing the operator’s instructions to help her ex-husband. “I’m gagging,” she said in one clip. “I got blood on myself, I can’t deal.”

Two days after his alleged fall, Price took Coleman off life support. She later told Harris in Lie Detector: Truth or Deception that she believed he fell and hit his head on their kitchen island.

Where did Gary Coleman die?

Coleman died at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah. He had relocated to the state with his ex-wife after they had rekindled their relationship.

Though they lived together at the time of his death, Price maintained in GARY that they were more like roommates than spouses.

How old was Gary Coleman when he died?

Coleman was 42 years old when he died. The former child star had a lifelong kidney condition that stunted his growth and led to numerous health complications throughout his life.

He underwent two kidney transplants before the age of 14 and, at one point, required dialysis four times a day to survive. Coleman also underwent multiple surgeries and experienced seizures in the years leading up to his death.

His mother, Sue Coleman, told PEOPLE that her son’s talent was “God’s way of compensating him for what he’s been through.”

Was Gary Coleman’s ex-wife involved in his death?

Price was never charged with any involvement in Coleman’s death. However, his loved ones said in GARY that they believe there’s more to the story than she’s telling.

Coleman’s friend, Anna Gray, noted that the actor had stated in an advance healthcare directive that he wanted “at least two weeks of care before any plugs were pulled.” Another friend, Brandy Buys, stated that she didn’t think Coleman fell.

In Lie Detector: Truth or Deception, Price claimed that she “would never hurt” Coleman who she described as “so fragile” due to his congenital kidney defect. The condition, which he had since birth, stunted his growth at 4 feet and 8 inches and put him on dialysis when he was 17.

Friends described Coleman’s relationship with Price as “toxic” in GARY and said that the former child star allegedly attempted to take out restraining orders against his ex-wife but never followed through.

“I know the police had been there quite a few times to domestic issues,” Buys told GARY filmmakers. “They both laid their hands on each other.”

Price, however, has denied ever hurting Coleman.

When Price was asked if she physically caused Coleman’s fall during her test on Lie Detector: Truth or Deception, she said she did not. The detector indicated “deception,” and the examiner, former FBI agent George Olivo, said that he was “100% certain” that there was “more to this story that hasn’t been told.”

What were Gary Coleman’s last words?

Price told Entertainment Tonight in June 2010 that Coleman’s final words were simple and revealing of the state he was in.

“He said, ‘I love you and my head hurts,’ ” she said. “Those were the last [words] he said to me because he was in a lot of pain.”

Coleman’s ex-wife also claimed that she was advised by doctors to take him off life support because he “wasn’t going to make it” and that before his fall, he was given less than a year to live.

What was the public reaction to Gary Coleman’s death?

When news of Coleman’s death spread, fans and former costars mourned the loss of the Diff’rent Strokes star, remembering him for his humor, talent and iconic role as Arnold Jackson.

But even 15 years after his death, questions remain about what really happened. Todd Bridges, who costarred as Willis Jackson on Diff’rent Strokes, told PEOPLE in September 2024 that he still has “a lot of questions” about how Coleman died.

“The last conversation me and Gary had, he was talking about how he didn’t feel safe,” Bridges said. “There’s a lot of questions — questions about the stairs he fell down, how he died. I just think that the City of Utah did not want to be responsible for killing Gary Coleman.”

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