Different Strokes for Gary's folks
Will Gary Coleman ever get some peace? His ex Shannon Price turns his funeralinto a money drive
Shannon Price's odd behavior in the recent death of her former husband, actor Gary Coleman, has brought many questions that she has (at best) awkwardly answered. It didn't become public knowledge that Coleman and Price had been divorced since August 2008 — until after Price gave the order for Coleman to be taken off life support.
Despite the divorce, Utah Valley Regional Medical Center stated in a release, "Mr. Coleman had completed an Advanced Health Care Directive that granted Shannon Price permission to make medical decisions on his behalf if he was unable to do so. An Advanced Health Care Directive remains in effect regardless of a patient’s marital status, unless modified by the patient. It is a private medical document which the hospital does not have permission to release. However, we received permission to confirm that the document was in effect at the time of Mr. Coleman’s death."
So everything was done by the books by Price, but there's that photo of Price and her agent smiling the day after Coleman's death that's come out. The photo was taken on May 29. That same day Price sat down for a long interview about Coleman's death. Coleman died on May 28 of brain hemorrhage that was caused by a fall inside of his Utah home.
So much for extended mourning ...
In an interview with TMZ, Price said that her "pampered" nights in Vegas have left her unable to afford Coleman's funeral and asked for fans' to help fund it. She pulled the plug because she said, "he would become like Muhammad Ali," and would not have made a full recovery. (Ali isn't a vegetable and happens to suffer from Parkinson's, which hasn't stopped him for making hundreds of public appearances, but why let facts get in the way of a crazy ex's story?)
Price added that Gary Coleman isn't like Lindsay Lohan, and had no desire to be friends with celebrities. OK.
There have been some conflicting stories told by Price. In one of the interviews Price states that Coleman brought her a car. In the 911 phone call, Price told operators that she wasn't able to drive Coleman to the hospital because she has seizures.
The speculation continues as more items come to light, but the report from the Utah police officer at the scene of Coleman's injury details that there was nothing suspicious about his death.
Coleman's estranged mother and father have waged their own media campaign to bring Gary Coleman back to his hometown in Zion, Illinois to be buried (the funeral plans are currently on hold).
Different Strokes' co-star Todd Bridges told Entertainment Tonight about a secret will from Coleman, "Gary had certain wishes (to exclude his parents). I'm not going to go against a dying man's wishes,' Bridges continued. 'There's a reason why he didn't speak to them for 23 years."
Gary Coleman's parents say they wanted to reconcile with him before he died.
