Gary Coleman's Parents Demanding Answers

Estranged parents of actor seeking answers about his death.

ByABC News via GMA logo
May 28, 2010, 6:33 AM

May 31, 2010— -- Gary Coleman's parents want to know exactly what happened leading up to their son's death.

When Coleman died last week at just 42 years old, he was estranged from his parents, but Willie and Sue Coleman say they love their son and want to know more about how he died. The couple told People.com that they have tried repeatedly to get in touch with Gary's wife Shannon Price, but she will not return their calls.

"Gary Coleman's parents are telling us they want answers, they want to know what happened to their son, how did he fall, what are the circumstances of his death," said People.com's Mike Fleeman.

"We're not pointing fingers at anyone, but we need to know exactly what happened," Sue Coleman told People.com, adding that she and her husband were seeking closure.

Coleman, the former child actor and star of the 1980s TV sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes," passed away last week in a Utah hospital from a brain hemorrhage after a fall last week.

Police say there is no investigation underway because there is nothing suspicious about his death, but no details have been released on how or why he fell. Coleman did suffer two seizures earlier this year.

Coleman suffered the fall and brain hemorrhage last Wednesday at the Utah home he shared with his wife.

"He was immediately taken to a local hospital for treatment," Coleman's publicist, John Alcantar, said in an e-mail to ABC News.

The fall left him unconscious and on life support.

Later Wednesday evening, according to Alcantar, Coleman was moved to another hospital for more tests and treatment. By midday Thursday, Coleman had regained consciousness and was lucid.

But his condition soon grew dire.

"As of mid morning on May 27, Mr. Coleman was conscious and lucid, but by early afternoon that same day, Mr. Coleman was slipping in and out of consciousness and his condition worsened," the hospital statement said.

At a news conference in Salt Lake City after Coleman's death, Coleman's brother-in-law Shawn Price read a statement written by his sister, Coleman's wife.

"We are very grateful for all the wonderful support everyone has been extending to Gary's family," the statement said. "Thousands of e-mails have poured in to the hospital. This has been so comforting to the family to know how beloved he still is."

After reaching TV superstardom playing Arnold Jackson on "Diff'rent Strokes" in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Coleman's life after the show included years of financial, legal and health troubles, including a congenital kidney condition, leading up to his death.