Melanie Watson, an actress who appeared in four episodes of “Diff’rent Strokes” during the 1980s and was a disability advocate, died Dec. 26. She was 57.

Watson, who played Kathy Gordon in four episodes of the sitcom starring Gary Coleman, died in Colorado Springs, Colorado, her brother, Robert Watson, told Forbes. He added that she had been hospitalized.

TMZ was the first outlet to report the actress’ death.

Born July 20, 1968, in Dana Point, California, Watson was diagnosed at birth with osteogenesis imperfecta, commonly known as brittle bone disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, the genetic disorder is a connective tissue disease that leads to fragile bones and related complications like short stature, bone deformities and fractures.

Watson’s performance on “Diff’rent Strokes” was praised for its authentic depiction of a young person with a disability. Her character, Kathy Gordon, was first introduced on the series in 1981, and she then appeared in one episode over the next three seasons.

She was particularly lauded for her work in the 1982 episode “Kathy,” and the 1984 episode “Kathy’s Olympics.”

Watson told IndieWire in a 2020 interview that the role was specifically written for her.

“I’m proud of Norman (Lear) for going against the norm and doing something,” Watson said. “I didn’t realize what a gift it was to be the first one out there. If I had to do it all over again, I would have stayed in the business.”

Watson founded the nonprofit Train Rite, an organization dedicated to training shelter dogs to assist people with disabilities.

Watson was married to Robert Bernhardt from 1994 to 1996.

In 2020, she launched a campaign for the Colorado State Senate but later withdrew from the race, citing “unforeseeable health conditions.”

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