Melanie Watson, 1968 – 2025

Melanie Watson, who played Kathy on four episodes of Diff’rent Strokes, died on Dec. 26. She was 57. Watson was born with osteogenesis imperfect, resulting in dwarfism and brittle bones. Diff’rent Strokes was her only acting role (she played a wheelchair-bound friend of star Gary Coleman, who himself was only 4’ 8”). Watson was the founder and executive director of Train Rite, an organization that trains shelter dogs to serve the disabled.