Actress Melanie Watson Bernhardt, best known for playing the character Kathy Gordon on the hit 80s sitcom Diff’rent Strokes, died on Friday. She was 57.
Bernhardt battled the genetic disorder osteogenesis imperfecta – which causes bones to break easily, poor muscle tone, hearing loss, and dental problems – and was being treated after suffering bleeding issues, TMZ reported.
Her health reportedly deteriorated quickly after she was hospitalised in the days leading up to Christmas.
She died on Friday, Boxing Day, in Colorado Springs, reports the Mirror.
Bernhardt’s brother told TMZ his sister was fortunate to live as long as she did with her condition.
DIFF’RENT STROKES — “Count Your Blessings” Episode 10 — Pictured: (l-r) Conrad Bain as Philip Drummond, Gary Coleman as Arnold Jackson, Melanie Watson as Kathy Gordon -(Frank Carroll/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)
Bernhardt had a frequent guest-starring role on Diff’rent Strokes, in which she played a wheelchair-using friend of lead character Arnold (Gary Coleman). The series ran for eight seasons, from 1978-1986.
She guest-starred in one episode per season from 1980 to 1984.
After the show ended, Bernhardt retired from acting.
Speaking about her role on Diff’rent Strokes, Watson told IndieWire in 2020, “I didn’t realize what a gift it was to be the first one out there. If I had to do it all over again, I would have stayed in the business.”
She later created and served as the founder/executive director of Train Rite, an organisation that trains shelter dogs to serve the disabled, according to IMDB.
Bernhardt was previously married to Roger Bernhardt from 1994 to 1996.