Just about everyone who grew up watching Gary Coleman in the popular sitcom, Different Strokes fell in love with him. Those chubby cheeks and that signature line “What you talkin’ bout’ Willis?” made him a huge star. Unfortunately, life after Different Strokes wasn’t always kind to him and culminated in a death surrounded by a great deal of suspicion and controversy. More recently, there has been both collective surprise and horror for many of Gary’s fans after learning that Shannon Price, the woman everyone thought was his wife, actually wasn’t.
This might not normally be a big deal. However, because Price made the decision (a rather quick one) to take him off life support, there is some question about whether or not she had the legal right to do so. Well, the hospital (Utah Valley Regional Medical Center) which treated Coleman and which allowed Price to take him off of life support is speaking out.
In a statement by a representative, the hospital reported that Gary had signed an “Advanced Health Care Directive that granted Shannon Price permission to make medical decisions on his behalf if he was unable to do so.”
This agreement is not nixed based on the marital status of the parties, unless either makes changes to the document. Gary Coleman had not, and the result may have ended up being a deadly oversight on his part.
