Actor Dustin Diamond, Best Known As 'Screech,' Dead At 44

Dustin Diamond has died following a cancer battle, Entertainment Tonight can confirm. He was 44 years old.

According to TMZ, who was first to report the news, his health had declined greatly since last week and he was taken off breathing machines. According to the outlet, his father was at his side when he died.

On Jan. 14, Diamond's team confirmed he had been diagnosed with cancer. On Jan. 21, a member of Diamond's team confirmed to ET that he was battling stage 4 small cell carcinoma, and had completed his first round of chemotherapy.

Back in October, Diamond notified a member of his team about a lump on his throat, assuming it could be thyroid cancer, but he was hesitant to visit the hospital due to COVID, his team also shared with ET. His doctors were hoping that by undergoing chemotherapy, he would prolong his life a few more years.

Diamond was best known for playing the character Screech on Saved by the Bell, though he did not appear in the show's recent reimagining, which premiered on Peacock last year. After news of his cancer diagnosis broke, some of his former co-stars showed their support for him, including Mario Lopez, who played A.C. Slater on the beloved '90s sitcom. He Instagrammed a throwback of the two together alongside a more recent one of them side by side.

"I connected with Dustin earlier this evening and although the news of his diagnosis is heartbreaking, we remain positive that he'll overcome this," Lopez wrote. "Praying for him & his family and for a speedy recovery. God Bless."