Diff'rent Strokes aired on national and syndicated television for eight seasons and ended in 1986. It was seen as mainstream and ground breaking at a time when America was grappling with social inequalities in black communities that were pitied against white affluent communities.

The series were a hit, thanks to Gary Coleman's who starred as Arnold, and his punch line "What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?" that became catchphrase, and Bain caste as Phillip Drummond, a wealthy business executive and widower who adopted both Arnold and Willis after his housemaid, their mother died.

Todd Bridges "Willis" is the only surviving member of the cast. Gary Coleman died of a brain hemorrhage aged 42, after years of financial and legal rows. Dana Plato who starred as Drummond's daughter in the series, died in 1999 after an apparent drug overdose, while Todd Bridges, who played Coleman's elder brother, revealed that years of childhood abuse led to drug addiction.

"It's painful," Bain was quoted by a reporter. "It is really painful. It leaves you with such a helpless feeling. I can't bear the thought. I love them all." Bain is survived by his daughter, Jennifer, two sons, Mark and Kent.