Melanie Watson Bernhardt, actress who played wheelchair-using friend on ‘Diff’rent Strokes’,’ dead at 57

An actor best known for her role as Kathy Gordon on “Diff’rent Strokes” has died. She was 57.

Melanie Watson Bernhardt died on Dec. 26 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, her brother, Rob Watson told TMZ. She was in the hospital recently for bleeding.

Watson Bernhardt was born with osteogenesis imperfect, which also is known as brittle bone disease. According to Hopkins Medicine, the genetic disorder causes people to have soft bones that break easily.

During her career, the actor had a frequent guest-starring role on “Diff’rent Strokes,” on which she played a wheelchair-using friend of the lead character, Arnold, played by Gary Coleman, in four of the show’s 189 episodes, USA TODAY reported.

When the show ended, Watson Bernhardt retired and helped found the charity Train Rite to train dogs to work as service animals.