Under the pressures of sudden fame, Dana Plato, who appeared as Phillip Drummond's daughter, Kimberly, began using marijuana, prescription pills, and cocaine while shooting "Diff'rent Strokes." According to a 1999 feature in People, at 15, she was showing up on the set drunk. At 18, Plato became pregnant and was written off the show. Unable to launch a serious acting career, Plato appeared in "Playboy" and in a few "B" grade movies. Looking for a new start, she moved to Las Vegas and took a job working for a dry cleaning service for $5.75 an hour, as per Biography.
Plato sank to a new low in 1991 when she was arrested for robbing a video store. Sympathetic to the former child star's plight and disgusted by her treatment by the press, singer Wayne Newton posted her $13,000 bail in hopes of giving Plato a much-needed second chance. Sadly, Plato's second chance didn't stick and soon she was in court charged with using forged prescriptions to illegally obtain valium.
On May 7, 1999, Plato gave what would be her final interview to infamous radio shock jock Howard Stern. Declaring herself drug-free, Plato was cruelly lambasted by Stern's listeners. The following day, Plato and her fiancé, Robert Menchaca, traveled in their motorhome to Moore, Oklahoma, to visit Menchaca's family. During the visit, Plato claimed she was ill and decided to take a nap. Plato, 34, died in her sleep of an overdose of Lortab and Valium. Medical investigators ruled the death a suicide, as per AP.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
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