Editing Gary Coleman (section)

== Legacy ==
Coleman is frequently listed as one of the most influential child actors in the world. He was rated first on a list of [[VH1]]'s "100 Greatest Kid Stars" on television,<ref name="reuters" /> and was noted by [[MTV]] for having an "Undeniable Impact on Pop Culture."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Warmoth|first=Brian|title=Gary Coleman Made Undeniable Impact On Pop Culture|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1640349/gary-coleman-made-undeniable-impact-on-pop-culture/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208072315/http://www.mtv.com/news/1640349/gary-coleman-made-undeniable-impact-on-pop-culture/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 8, 2014|access-date=August 23, 2020|website=MTV News|language=en}}</ref> Mike Hogan from [[Vanity Fair (magazine)|''Vanity Fair'']] wrote on his career, saying "He was unquestionably a superstar, overshadowing them with his radiant charisma and boundless energy, but the kidney condition that enabled him, even as a teen, to play the world's most precocious little brother on TV also complicated his life in ways most of us will never understand."<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Hogan|first=Mike|title=Remembering Gary Coleman, Without Irony|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2010/05/remembering-gary-coleman-without-irony|access-date=August 23, 2020|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=May 28, 2010|language=en-us}}</ref> Actress [[Lucille Ball]] stated in a 1980 interview with [[People (magazine)|''People'' magazine]] that although she rarely watched sitcoms, "I love Gary Coleman. He puts me away. He puts everybody away."<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 11, 1980 |first=Peter |last=Lester |title=Ask Her Anything About Desi Sr., Divorce, Drugs, Gay Rights&mdash;Lucy Ball Hasn't Become Bashful at 68 |url=https://people.com/archive/ask-her-anything-about-desi-sr-divorce-drugs-gay-rights-lucy-ball-hasnt-become-bashful-at-68-vol-13-no-6/ |access-date=2022-04-12 |website=[[People (magazine)|People]] |language=en}}</ref>

[[Filk music]] act [[Ookla the Mok (band)|Ookla the Mok]] paid tribute to Coleman on their 2003 album "''oh okay LA''" with the song "A.M. Suicide."<ref name="OoklaLyrics">[https://ooklathemok.com/liner_notes/ohokayla.pdf Liner notes for ''Oh OK LA''], at OoklaTheMok.com; retrieved June 4, 2021</ref> He is parodied in ''[[Avenue Q]]'', which won the 2004 [[Tony Award for Best Musical]]; a fictionalized version of him works as the [[Building superintendent|superintendent]] of the apartment complex where the musical takes place. In the song "It Sucks to Be Me", he laments his fate.<ref name="thewrap2" /> On Broadway, the role was originally performed by [[Natalie Venetia Belcon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=100641|title=Natalie Venetia Belcon|website=Internet Broadway Database|access-date=May 28, 2010}}</ref> The show's creators, Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez, have said the Coleman character personifies one of ''Avenue Q''{{'s}} central themes: that as children we are told we are "special", but upon entering adulthood, we discover that life is not nearly as easy as we have been led to believe. They added that their original intent was for Coleman himself to play the Gary Coleman role, and he expressed interest in it but did not show up for a meeting scheduled to discuss it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gothamist.com/2004/12/17/jeff_marx_robert_lopez_creators_avenue_q.php|title=Jeff Marx & Robert Lopez, Creators Avenue Q|last=Dobbs|first=Aaron|date=December 17, 2004|website=Gothamist|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709004354/http://gothamist.com/2004/12/17/jeff_marx_robert_lopez_creators_avenue_q.php|archive-date=July 9, 2008|access-date=May 30, 2010}}</ref> In 2005, Coleman announced his intention to sue the producers of ''Avenue Q'' for their depiction of him, although the lawsuit never materialized. At the 2007 [[New York Comic Con]], Coleman said, "I wish there was a lawyer on Earth that would sue them for me."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPCOuyGacRs|title=Gary Coleman&nbsp;– New York Comic Con 2007&nbsp;–|website=TheActionRoom.com|publisher=YouTube|access-date=May 28, 2010}}</ref>

Following his death in 2010, the casts of the [[off-Broadway]] production of ''Avenue Q'' in New York City and the ''Avenue Q'' National Tour in Dallas dedicated their performances to his memory, and the actors playing the part of Coleman paid tribute to him from the stage at the performances' conclusions.<ref>{{cite news|last=Propst|first=Andy|date=May 28, 2010|title=Gary Coleman, Star of Diff'rent Strokes and Character in Avenue Q, Dies at 42.|newspaper=Theater Mania|url=http://www.theatermania.com/off-broadway/news/05-2010/gary-coleman-star-of-diffrent-strokes-and-a-charac_27775.html|access-date=May 29, 2010}}</ref><ref name="SilvermanSM" /> The Coleman character remained in the show after modifications were made to relevant dialogue.<ref name="Itzkoff">{{cite news|last=Itzkoff|first=Dave|date=May 29, 2010|title='Avenue Q' Deals With Death of Gary Coleman|work=The New York Times|url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/29/avenue-q-deals-with-death-of-gary-coleman/|access-date=June 8, 2010}}</ref> Randy Kester—Coleman's attorney—told ''[[Dallas News]]'' in 2010, "The world's going to be a little less happy place without Gary. For being a small guy, he sure had a big impact on the world."<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 29, 2010|title=Gary Coleman: Off the air, ex-child star struggled|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/obituaries/2010/05/29/gary-coleman-off-the-air-ex-child-star-struggled/|access-date=August 23, 2020|website=Dallas News|language=en}}</ref> Coleman appeared in 2011 in the game's intro ''[[Postal III]]'' and in 2015 in the expansion pack for ''[[Postal 2]]'' - ''Paradise Lost''. In the 2021 ''Diff'rent Strokes'' special, actor [[Kevin Hart]] played Coleman's signature character of [[Arnold Jackson (character)|Arnold Jackson]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-19 |title=Kevin Hart to play Gary Coleman role in 'Diff'rent Strokes' special |url=https://nypost.com/2021/11/19/kevin-hart-cast-in-abcs-diffrent-strokes-live-special/ |access-date=2021-12-12 |website=New York Post |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-22 |title=Kevin Hart to play Gary Coleman in 'Diff'rent Strokes' reboot |url=https://rollingout.com/2021/11/22/kevin-hart-to-play-gary-coleman-in-diffrent-strokes-in-reboot/ |access-date=2021-12-12 |website=Rolling Out |language=en-US}}</ref>

A [[documentary film|documentary]] about Coleman's life, ''[[Gary (film)|Gary]]'', was released on the streaming service [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]] on August 29, 2024.<ref name="thr">{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/gary-coleman-documentary-director-talks-misinformation-about-star-1235986234|title=Gary Coleman Documentary Director Talks &quot;Misinformation&quot; About Star|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|publisher=[[Eldridge Industries]]|last=Kilkenny|first=Katie|date=August 29, 2024|accessdate=August 31, 2024}}</ref><ref name="imdb">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33084905|title=Gary (2024) - IMDb|work=[[IMDb]]|publisher=[[Amazon (company)|Amazon]]|accessdate=August 31, 2024}}</ref>