Actress Melanie Watson, best known for playing Kathy Gordon on Diff’rent Strokes, has died at 57. Her brother, Robert Watson, confirmed her death after she was hospitalized in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Watson rose to fame in the early 1980s and became a familiar face to television audiences during that era.

Born in July 1968 in Dana Point, California, Watson lived with osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic condition that causes fragile bones. From childhood, she faced physical challenges that shaped her daily life, but she did not let those limits stop her from pursuing an acting career.

Watson appeared in four episodes of Diff’rent Strokes between 1981 and 1984, acting alongside Todd Bridges and Gary Coleman. Her character was written with her disability in mind, making her “one of the earliest recurring characters with a visible disability on network television,” at a time when such representation was “rare and groundbreaking.”

The experience was sometimes difficult. In one episode, she was asked to walk on crutches despite concerns after a previous fall. In later interviews, she said the moment felt uncomfortable and driven more by expectations than by her own comfort.

Over time, Watson came to appreciate the broader impact of her work. She credited producer Norman Lear for helping bring visibility to actors with disabilities and recognized that her role allowed viewers to see themselves reflected on screen. Her legacy endures through the doors she helped open for inclusion in television.