‘Saved by the Bell’ Cast Mourns Death of Dustin Diamond

The cast of classic teen comedy Saved by the Bell expressed their sadness on Monday over the death of Dustin Diamond, best known for his work as the lovable, bombastic and eccentric Samuel “Screech” Powers on numerous iterations of the NBC sitcom

Diamond died Monday morning of carcinoma. He was 44. The actor was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer three weeks ago and had been receiving treatments at a Florida hospital.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who played Zack Morris, called his former co-star a “true comedic genius,” adding that he was heartbroken over Diamond’s death.

“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,” Gosselaar said via Twitter.

Mario Lopez shared a picture of the two men together, with the actor, who played A.C. Slater, writing on social media, “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…”

Tiffani Thiessen, who played Kelly Kapowski, also shared a photo of the late Diamond and wrote, “am deeply saddened by the news of my old co-star @realdustindiamond passing. Life is extremely fragile and it’s something we should never take for granted. God speed Dustin.”

Peacock’s Saved by the Bell reboot, which launched in November on the streaming service, reunited original stars including Gosselaar, Elizabeth Berkley, Lopez and Thiessen; Diamond did not take part. Screech, it was explained, was living on the International Space Station.