A fan-favorite guest star on the iconic ’80s sitcom Diff’rent Strokes has died.
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Melanie Watson died on Friday in Colorado Springs, Colorado, TMZ reports, citing her brother Robert. Watson, who also went by Melanie Bernhardt after her acting career concluded, dealt with the health condition osteogenesis imperfecta her whole life. She died while hospitalized for a bleeding issue.
Watson made four memorable appearances on Diff’rent Strokes as Kathy Gordon, a character, who like the actress in real-life, suffered from OI, which means a person’s bones are especially fragile.
She appeared in four episodes, returning in four consectuve seasons, with two of those episodes even including her character’s name in the episode title: “Count your Blessings” (Season 3, Episode 8), “Kathy” (Season 4, Episode 13), “Hall Monitor” (Season 5, Episode 19) and “Kathy’s Olympics” (Season 6, Episode 21).
Watson seemingly did not act after her time on the NBC sitcom. TMZ reports that she started a service dog organization, Train Rite.
She also sought public office in 2020, attempting to earn a seat in the Colorado State Senate. However, “unforeseeable health conditions” derailed her campaign. She hoped to run again in 2025 on a campaign focused on housing and infrastructure.