Conrad Bain, the actor who played the role of Phillip Drummond on the popular 80's sitcom, "Diff'rent Stokes" died at the age of 89.

According to his daughter, Jennifer Bain, the star died of natural causes Monday evening at a retirement home in Livermore. She told TMZ, "He was an amazing person. He was a lot like Mr. Drummond, but much more interesting in real life. He was an amazing father."

Bain's character in the show was a wealthy Manhattan widow. He raised Willis and Arnold, two African American boys played by Todd Bridges and Gary Coleman. At the time, the actor's unprecedented role brought sensitive race, class and socio-economic issues to the forefront. The iconic show ran for four seasons on NBC and for two on ABC.

Often overshadowed by the other stars on the show, Bain was still praised for his wit and comedic timing. Though the popular sitcom was a wide-spread success, the actors dealt with many troubles years later.

Coleman died in 2010 with surmounting legal woes in addition to a severe kidney disease that stunted his growth. Dana Plato, who played the role of Bain's teenage daughter, died of a drug overdose in 1999 at the age of 34.

Todd Bridges has had several stints in rehab to deal with drug issues. The actor told TMZ he was deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Bain and had been looking forward to celebrating his 90th birthday with him next month.

"In addition to being a positive and supportive father figure both on and off-screen, Conrad was well-loved and made going to work each day enjoyable for all of us. He will be missed, but never forgotten", he said.

Bain was given his big break by film director Norman Lear, for whom he auditioned for a role in the 1971 film "Cold Turkey." Bain didn't get the part but Lear granted him the role of Dr. Arthur in the comedy "Maude," which ran on CBS from 1972 to 1978.

He married musician Monica Sloan who died in 2009. The actor is survived by three sons, a daughter and his twin brother Bonar.