Coleman did not want life support machine switched off

Gary Coleman did not want to be taken off life support if he was ever in that position, new documents have revealed.

The ‘Diff’rent Strokes’ actor – who died last month when he fell into a coma and ex-wife Shannon Price decided to switch off the machine keeping him alive – signed a paper in 2006 stating he wanted his life prolonged as long as possible, according to documents obtained by website TMZ.

Under the heading ‘Instructions for Health Care’ - Gary checked the box titled ‘Choice to Prolong Life’ which states: “I want my life to be prolonged as long as possible within the limits of generally accepted health care standards.”

The other option, ‘Choice Not to Prolong Life’, was left unchecked.

As well as stating in documents he wanted to prolong his life, two of the actor’s closest friends claim they pleaded with Shannon not to turn off his life support machine.

His agent Robert Malcolm says both Todd Bridges and his ex-manager Dion Mial begged her to reconsider her decision but she refused to change her mind.

Malcolm told RadarOnline.com: "Dion and Todd both begged her not to pull the plug."

Price has previously said she turned off the life support machine on doctors’ advice.

Although Shannon, 24, was divorced from the 42-year-old actor in 2008, in a newly-released death certificate, she is still listed as his spouse.

The document also lists Gary’s cause of death as a “closed head injury”, with the manner of death recorded as an accident.

An autopsy was carried out last week, but Gary has not yet been laid to rest and a judge has ruled it will not happen before tomorrow.