Avenue Q to Honor Gary Coleman

Following the death yesterday of Gary Coleman, the off-Broadway transfer of Avenue Q, which features Coleman as a character, honored the former child actor at the end of their Friday night performance yesterday.  The actress portraying Gary, Danielle K. Thomas, gave a speech at the curtain call honoring Coleman, in addition to a statement from the show's producers saying that, "the creators, producers, and company of Avenue Q are terribly saddened to hear of the death of Gary Coleman, whose tremendous gifts brought delight and inspiration to audiences around the world."  So far, no creative changes have been announced to the content of the show.

Child Star Gary Coleman Dead at 42

Gary Coleman, who starred as Arnold in Diff'rent Strokes between the ages of 10 and 18, has died of an intracranial hemorrhage after being rushed to the hospital following a seizure a few days ago.  Though the former child actor didn't follow Diff'rent Strokes with any other roles to maintain his public profile, he was known to Broadway audiences for the Avenue Q character based loosely on him.