Mario Lopez had been trying to convince his old Saved by the Bell co-star Dustin Diamond to feature in a new reality TV show only two weeks before his sudden death.
Diamond was just 44 when he lost his battle with stage 4 cancer on Monday, and Lopez was particularly shocked by his untimely demise because they had just recently reconnected and discussed a potential project together.
Lopez reveals he had "always" stayed in touch with Diamond, even though the actor famed for playing nerdy Screech Powers didn't return for the recent Saved by the Bell revamp, and during one of their last conversations, he had pitched the idea of developing a new reality show together.
"We were actually discussing, when I talked to him recently, just two weeks prior to him passing, about the upcoming season (of Saved by the Bell) and figuring out doing something cool," Lopez shared on his news show Access Hollywood.
"I was trying to convince him to do something in the reality space that I'd be producing for him. It was actually pretty funny," he recalled.
"Unfortunately that won't come to fruition now, but he was in good spirits at least," he added, noting: "he was pretty positive and optimistic last I spoke to him."
And despite experiencing a series of highs and lows following his TV success, Diamond was always a great guy at heart, according to Lopez.
"I hope Dustin is remembered as a nice guy, good person, always took time to speak with people that were fans and wanted to connect with him," he said, reflecting: "and as an iconic character that millions of people related to (sic)."
Lopez, who had earlier paid tribute to Diamond on Twitter, wasn't the only former co-star mourning the actor's loss - Tiffani Thiessen, Lark Voorhies, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar have also expressed their grief and sent condolences to his family.
