Parent of 'Diff'rent Strokes' star says life, not show, was cast's problem

"The media portrays it as the kids on the show being cursed," Betty Bridges said Monday, two days after Ms. Plato, 34, died of a drug overdose. "It had nothing to do with that. The show was a very positive experience."

But when "Diff'rent Strokes" ended its eight-year run in 1986, trouble dogged the sitcom's young stars. Todd Bridges, like Ms. Plato, fought drug addiction. Coleman and his parents fought over money. All three had brushes with the law, some severe.

"My son has said to me, 'I would have these problems whether I was in the business or out of it,' " Ms. Bridges said, adding: "How many kids who are not in show business have a drug problem?"

Danny Bonaduce, 39, "The Partridge Family" star who overcame his own drug problems and found a new career as a radio disc jockey, agreed that Hollywood is not to blame for a child star's downfall.

"Not to diminish the tragedy of Dana Plato's death, but the only difference is you know her name. People O.D. (overdose) every day. There are a thousand reasons," Bonaduce said.

Ms. Bridges, who is her son's manager, said it was a difficult home life that made him and Ms. Plato stumble. Todd had to cope with abuse from his father, now dead, and his parents' divorce, Ms. Bridges said.

Ms. Plato's mother had a chronic illness, she said.

Her son is "really destroyed" by Ms. Plato's death, Ms. Bridges said. "But he's looking at this as a wake-up call for everybody. ... There's got to be something done with the drug problem. Not just for people in show business, but for everybody."

Todd Bridges, 34, was unavailable for an interview because he has an exclusive agreement with the TV show "Inside Edition." Now married and with an infant son, he is working as a film director-producer and speaking out against drugs, his mother said.

But young celebrities do bear a difficult burden, contends Dr. Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist and longtime industry consultant.

"When child stars are no longer getting attention as stars, they are so addicted to the spotlight that they find themselves acting out in negative ways to get attention," Dr. Lieberman said.

Parents may not always recognize the situation's risks because they, too, are caught up in the fame game, she said.

The vehicle that carried Ms. Plato, Bridges and Coleman, now 31, to TV celebrity was a lightweight sitcom that began in 1978. Coleman and Bridges played two brothers from Harlem who found the good life with their mother's wealthy employer (Conrad Bain) after she died.

Ms. Plato played Bain's teen-age daughter, Kimberly.

On Saturday, while visiting the Oklahoma home of her fiance's parents, the actress died after apparently taking the painkiller Loritab along with Valium. Police said the death appeared to be the result of an accidental overdose.

In 1991, Ms. Plato was arrested for robbing a Las Vegas video store and placed on five years' probation. In 1992 she was given another five years' probation for forging prescriptions for Valium.

"If I hadn't gotten caught, it could have been the worst thing that happened to me because I could have died of a drug overdose," she said then.

Series star Coleman, whose growth was stunted by a congenital kidney disorder, fought a bitter legal battle with his parents over whether he was mentally fit to handle his own affairs.

In February, Coleman pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace after he punched an autograph-seeker he claimed insulted him. Coleman testified he'd worked as a security guard after jobs in Hollywood proved elusive.

Bridges was involved in a lengthy series of arrests ranging from carrying a concealed weapon to attempted murder. In the latter case, he was acquitted on attempted murder and assault charges in connection with the 1989 shooting of a crack cocaine dealer.

None of that has tarnished the bright memories of "Diff'rent Strokes" for Todd, his mother said.

"We'll sit and look through photo albums from the show, and he'll say 'Remember that day?' Ms. Bridges said. "He said to me, 'I wonder why they would call a show that was so delightful, so much fun to go to, why would they call that a curse?' "

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