Janet Jackson, Todd Bridges Remember Gary Coleman

Singer, who guest-starred on Diff'rent Strokes, pays tribute to late star

Janet Jackson and Gary Coleman hadn't had any Good Times together for more than 30 years, but she still remembers him fondly.

"I'm at a loss for words upon learning of Gary Coleman's passing," the pop star said of her onetime childhood costar, who died Friday at 42 after suffering a brain hemorrhage. "I want to remember him as the fun, playful, adorable and affectionate man he was. He has left a lasting legacy. I know he is finally at peace."

Jackson guest-starred as Todd Bridges' love interest Charlene on a series of episodes of Diff'rent Strokes in the early '80s, while Coleman appeared on Jackson's sitcom Good Times in 1978.

Bridges, who played Willis to Coleman's Arnold on the hit sitcom, has also spoken out.

"It's unfortunate," Bridges said in a statement Friday. "It's a sad day. It's sad that I'm the last kid alive from the show."

(Originally published May 28, 2010, at 5:58 p.m. PT)