Former child star Melanie Watson dies at 57

Diff'rent Strokes star Melanie Watson has passed away at the age of 57.

The actress, who played Kathy Gordan in the classic sitcom, breathed her last on Friday, December 26, in Colorado Springs.

Her brother, Robert Watson, revealed she had been hospitalised during which her condition deteriorated.

The former child actor appeared in four episodes of Diff'rent Strokes, which also starred the late Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges.

The hilarious and heart-warming series aired for eight seasons from 1978 to 1986, while Melanie’s character was introduced in the third season of the show.

She delivered a stellar performance in the 1982 episode "Kathy" and the 1984 episode "Kathy’s Olympics."

The late actor opened up about her iconic role in a 2020 interview. "I didn’t realize what a gift it was to be the first one out there. If I had to do it all over again, I would have stayed in the business," she told IndieWire.

For the unversed, Melanie was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta and used a wheelchair.

According to Mayo Clinic, the genetic disorder (also known as Brittle Bone Syndrome) is a connective tissue disease that makes your bones fragile.