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Diff'rent Strokes actor Dana Plato dies

Last Updated: Friday, November 10, 2000 | 11:52 PM ET

CBC News

After years of legal and substance abuse problems since the cancellation of her popular television show Diff'rent Strokes, actor Dana Plato has died of a drug overdose. She was 34.

Her death appears to be an accidental overdose and police don't suspect suicide. Plato apparently took painkillers and Valium on Saturday while visiting her fiance's parents.

Plato played Kimberly Drummond on the NBC sitcom that ran from 1978 to 1984. After the show was taken off the air, Plato played roles in mainly low-budget films and a number of direct-to-video softcore porn films.

Diff'rent Strokes cast with Plato [left]

She had had a number of confrontations with the law, including a 1991 arrest for robbing a Las Vegas video store. Plato was then charged with forging prescriptions for Valium. After that incident she said she was glad she was arrested because she feared she could have died of a drug overdose.

Among her co-stars on Diff'rent Strokes, Todd Bridges, who played Willis, has been arrested several times for various assault and drug offences and Gary Coleman, who played the diminutive Arnold on the show, also recently pleaded no contest to assault charges.

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