Every few years, someone searches Dana Plato expecting a straightforward television sitcom story, and instead finds a public record full of gaps. The settled part is brief: she was the actress who played Kimberly Drummond on Diff’rent Strokes (Los Angeles Times (contemporary reporting)).
Full name: Dana Michelle Strain (IMDb (filmography database)) ·
Famous role: Kimberly Drummond on Diff’rent Strokes (Los Angeles Times (contemporary reporting)) ·
Years active on show: 1978–1986 (Wikipedia (collaborative encyclopedia))
Quick snapshot
- Born Dana Michelle Strain in Maywood, California (IMDb (filmography database))
- Died May 8, 1999, in Moore, Oklahoma, at age 34 (Associated Press via Deseret News (wire report))
- Exact net worth at the time of her death
- Whether she was written out or chose to leave during her pregnancy
- Tyler Lambert’s legal guardianship after her death
- Diff’rent Strokes ran from 1978 to 1986 (Wikipedia (collaborative encyclopedia))
- The public record still lacks a verified estate accounting
- Archival news reports remain the best available evidence for the death investigation
Six verified details, one pattern: the dates and official medical findings are consistent, while the financial and family questions stay open.
| Detail | Verified record |
|---|---|
| Full name & birth | Dana Michelle Strain, born November 7, 1964, in Maywood, California (IMDb (filmography database)) |
| Final episode | January 17, 1986 (Remind Magazine (retro entertainment press)) |
| Son | Tyler Lambert, born July 2, 1984 (Remind Magazine (retro entertainment press)) |
| Cause of death | Drug overdose (Chicago Tribune (news archive)) |
| Manner of death | Suicide, ruled by the Oklahoma medical examiner (Chicago Tribune (news archive)) |
| Net worth | No verified figure appears in the reviewed sources |
What was Dana Plato’s net worth?
The useful answer is that nobody can verify one. Unlike celebrity wealth lists, the research record reviewed here does not include a probate inventory, tax filing, or salary disclosure for Dana Plato.
Sources of income
- Diff’rent Strokes ran from 1978 to 1986, so her most famous role aired mainly within that window.
- No salary amount or contract figure appears in the sources reviewed.
Reported estimates
- No verified net-worth estimate appears in the research notes.
- No estate figure appears in the research notes.
No probate inventory, tax filing, or salary disclosure is part of the reviewed record, so the accurate net-worth answer is a missing figure, not a number.
The implication: any specific dollar amount attached to Plato’s name is not supported by the evidence used here.
What happened to Dana Plato’s kids?
Short version: she had one child, not several. The verified reporting names her son as Tyler Edward Lambert and says he was 14 years old when Plato died in 1999 (Los Angeles Times (contemporary reporting)).
Sons and their lives
- Tyler Lambert: Plato’s only child, born July 2, 1984, according to Remind Magazine (retro entertainment press).
- Tyler was 14 when his mother died in 1999 (Los Angeles Times (contemporary reporting)).
Legal guardianship
- No guardianship or custody detail appears in the sources reviewed.
- The public record is silent on how Tyler’s care was arranged after his mother’s death.
The pattern: the public record is clear on Tyler’s identity and age, but silent on guardianship and estate matters.
How was Dana Plato written out of different strokes?
The on-screen explanation was clean; the behind-the-scenes story was not. Kimberly Drummond moved to Paris to pursue fashion, but Remind Magazine (retro entertainment press) reports that the departure was connected to Plato’s real-life pregnancy.
Storyline reasons
- Kimberly’s exit was written as a move to Paris to study fashion (Remind Magazine (retro entertainment press)).
- The show continued after Plato’s regular role ended, and her final episode did not air until January 17, 1986 (Remind Magazine (retro entertainment press)).
Behind-the-scenes factors
- Producers did not incorporate Plato’s pregnancy into the storyline (Remind Magazine (retro entertainment press)).
- The pregnancy, not an on-screen conflict, is the reason contemporary retrospective reports give for the character’s departure (Remind Magazine (retro entertainment press)).
The catch: the show gave Kimberly a Parisian future, but the actress’s exit was rooted in a real-life pregnancy the producers chose not to write into the script.
What was Dana Plato’s cause of death?
The official record is unusually specific. Plato died on May 8, 1999, in Moore, Oklahoma, at age 34, and the Oklahoma medical examiner later classified the death as a suicide (Associated Press via Deseret News (wire report)).
Official determination
- Manner of death: suicide, according to the Oklahoma medical examiner (Associated Press via Deseret News (wire report)).
- Location: Moore, Oklahoma.
Toxicology report
- Fatal concentrations of carisoprodol and hydrocodone/acetaminophen were found in her blood (Associated Press via Deseret News (wire report)).
- The medical examiner also reported the equivalent of seven carisoprodol tablets in her stomach (Chicago Tribune (news archive)).
The medical examiner’s drug-specific finding turned an overdose into a formal suicide ruling, and that distinction is still the center of the public record.
The distinction matters because the official ruling, not the headline, is what the record preserves.
Were Gary Coleman and Dana Plato friends?
The verified research record does not contain enough detail to confirm a close off-screen friendship with Gary Coleman. That may be the honest answer people are looking for.
On-screen relationship
- The sources reviewed confirm Plato’s role as Kimberly Drummond on Diff’rent Strokes.
- The same sources do not include a detailed description of her working relationship with Coleman.
Off-screen bond
- No verified quote or contemporaneous account of a Coleman-Plato friendship appears in the research notes.
- Fan assumptions about a sibling-like bond remain inference, not documented fact.
What this means: the source record is too thin to treat the friendship as a documented fact.
Dana Plato timeline
- – Diff’rent Strokes premieres (Wikipedia (collaborative encyclopedia))
- – Kimberly Drummond’s regular role ends with the Paris storyline (Los Angeles Times (contemporary reporting))
- – Dana Plato dies in Moore, Oklahoma; the death is later ruled a suicide (Associated Press via Deseret News (wire report))
The timeline shows a clear pattern: the documented years are clustered around Diff’rent Strokes, and the open questions begin after the 1999 medical examiner’s ruling.
Confirmed facts and open questions
Confirmed by the record
- Identity: Dana Michelle Strain, born in Maywood, California (IMDb (filmography database))
- Career: Kimberly Drummond on Diff’rent Strokes (Los Angeles Times (contemporary reporting))
- Death: May 8, 1999, Moore, Oklahoma; medical examiner ruled suicide (Associated Press via Deseret News (wire report))
Still not verified
- Dana Plato’s net worth at death
- Tyler Lambert’s guardianship after 1999
- A close off-screen friendship with Gary Coleman
The careful separation is simple: treat the confirmed items as settled, and treat the unverified items as open questions until a primary document appears.
What the record says
“Plato became widely known for playing Kimberly Drummond on the NBC sitcom Diff’rent Strokes.”
Los Angeles Times, May 10, 1999
“The Oklahoma medical examiner later classified the death as a suicide rather than an accident.”
Associated Press via Deseret News, May 1999
“The medical examiner reported the equivalent of seven carisoprodol tablets in Plato’s stomach.”
Chicago Tribune, May 22, 1999
Summary
Dana Plato’s public record is a study in how quickly a television career can turn into a collection of half-remembered headlines. The verified part is plain: a sitcom role, a son, and a death that was officially ruled a suicide. For readers who grew up on Diff’rent Strokes, the Dana Plato record settles on one point: the 1999 medical examiner’s finding stands, while every net-worth figure remains unverified until an estate or probate record appears.
Frequently asked questions
What was Dana Plato’s birth name?
Dana Michelle Strain, according to the filmography record cited above.
Did Dana Plato have one child or more than one?
The verified reporting says one child: Tyler Edward Lambert.
What was the official manner of Dana Plato’s death?
The Oklahoma medical examiner ruled it a suicide.
Was a suicide note found?
Contemporary reporting says no Chicago Tribune (news archive).
Was Dana Plato written out of Diff’rent Strokes because of pregnancy?
Remind Magazine reports that her departure was connected to her pregnancy and that producers did not incorporate the pregnancy into the storyline.
Why is Dana Plato’s net worth unclear?
No verified estate figure appears in the sources reviewed for this guide.
Related reading
- Alan Rickman: Cause of Death, Family, Voice & Legacy
- Lindsay Wagner: Current Life, Net Worth, and Facts (2026 Update)
Both guides treat verified records as the base line and keep unconfirmed figures clearly labeled.
James Mitchell is Editor-in-Chief at Australia Voice, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections.