Mario Lopez says his former Saved by the Bell partner, Dustin Diamond “was like a little brother” to him “before detailing the final conversation
Mario Lopez reflected on his final conversation with Dustin Diamond, which took place less than two weeks before the death of his former castmate from Saved By the Bell.
During Tuesday’s episode of his Access Hollywood program, the 47-year-old host told the audience that Diamond ‘was like a little brother’ to him.
“I am happy to say and I feel good about always keeping in touch with Dustin,” said Lopez of the late star, who died just three weeks after being diagnosed with stage four small cell lung cancer on Monday.
Grief: Mario Lopez reflected on his final conversation with Dustin Diamond, which took place less than two weeks before the death of his former programmate for Saved By the Bell; seen in 2020
He continued: ‘He had some struggles and a complicated life, but we all do.’
The father of three explained that, despite their long-distance friendship, he knew they were just ‘a phone call away when he moved to Wisconsin’.
“I don’t abandon, like, my friends or I never turn my back on people who are always there for me and I supported him,” explained Lopez. ‘We kept in touch and he met his girlfriend recently.’
In addition, friends ‘were actually discussing’ a screen meeting about the ‘next season’ of the Saved By the Bell restart ‘just two weeks before he passed away’.
The TV host also admitted that ‘he was trying to convince him to do something in the reality space’, which would have been produced by him and ‘really really funny’.
Unbelievable loss: during the Tuesday episode of his Access Hollywood program, the 47-year-old presenter told the audience that Diamond ‘was like a little brother’ to him
“I am happy to say and I feel good that I have always kept in touch with Dustin,” said Lopez of the late star, who died just three weeks after being diagnosed with stage four small cell lung cancer; seen on the original Saved By The Bell, which ran from 1989 to 1993
The former X Factor student noted: ‘Unfortunately this is not going to happen now, but he was in a good mood at least. He was very positive and optimistic the last time I spoke to him. ‘
As for Diamond’s legacy, Lopez said he expects his friend to be ‘remembered as a nice guy, a good person’ and someone who ‘always had time to talk to people who were fans and wanted to connect with him.’
Diamond was best known for his role as the nerdy Samuel ‘Screech’ Powers in Saved by the Bell when he was 11 years old, a role he played for 13 years in various episodes of the popular teen sitcom.
He would have a big lump on his neck before he died and hesitated to be examined by a doctor for fear of attracting public attention.
It was too early: As for Diamond’s legacy, Lopez said he hopes his friend will be ‘remembered as a nice guy, a good person’ and someone who ‘always had time to talk to people who were fans and wanted to connect with him’ ( seen in 2016)
Diamond’s girlfriend, Tash Jules, 39, said exclusively to DailyMail.com: ‘He was the love of my life. We plan a future together and talk a lot about having children. I’m heartbroken. ‘
Tash, a certified pharmacy technician, said she was devastated and her entire world was turned upside down. But she said she would love it the last time he managed to talk to her – just the day before he died.
‘Even though he was struggling to breathe and had difficulty speaking, he was able to say the words to me:’ I love you ‘, I told him that I loved him back.’
Iconic: Diamond was best known for his role as the nerdy Samuel ‘Screech’ Powers in Saved by the Bell when he was 11, a role he played for 13 years in various episodes of the popular teen sitcom