14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, word got out in the media that no less than four pictures of actor Gary Coleman on his hospital deathbed were being shopped around, including one taken almost an hour after he passed away. Speculation said that Shannon Price, the star’s ex-wife who was with him at the time and had made the decision to plug off the life-supporting machines, may have had a hand in this – and TMZ can now confirm this was actually the case.
TMZ was the same media outlet that broke the story of the existence of the photos, saying that it had seen them and that they were not a pleasant sight, as they showed Coleman on the bed connected to various tubes. Another pic was even taken after he died, the e-zine said yesterday, which hinted only Price could have possibly taken it, especially since she said she did not leave his bedside. As it turns out, it was her who snapped the pics – and she’s looking to make a profit off them.
“TMZ has learned... Gary Coleman’s ex-wife is the mastermind behind the photos which show the actor in the hospital, bloodied, with tubes sticking out of his body... and there’s also a photo taken after he died. We’re told Shannon Price had a production company shoot the photos. Our sources say Shannon is featured in one of the photos. We’re told the photos are being shopped around for five-figures... and Shannon is set to get a cut of the profits,” TMZ writes.
In a later post, the e-zine reports the pictures have been sold to an unnamed tabloid that will probably run them in an upcoming issue. Of the four, only three have been acquired as the one in which Coleman was already dead was deemed in very bad taste and was therefore turned down at the moment of purchase. Coleman’s parents, who have been estranged for years but said that something was not right when their child died, are reportedly furious over their former daughter-in-law’s actions. To add insult to injury, it would seem that hospital staff knew about Price taking the photos, though they might not be aware of the purpose they meant to serve.
“Officials at the hospital where Gary Coleman died tell TMZ they were ‘aware’ that Shannon Price and her family were ‘inside taking pictures’ around the time Coleman passed away. A rep from Utah Valley Regional Medical Center tells us, ‘We were aware that Shannon and her family were inside taking pictures... we made notes that the family was taking pictures.’ Shannon’s rep – who had previously doubted the existence of the photos – now tells us, ‘Shannon and her family did take pictures but they were never meant to get out’,” TMZ also informs.