Gary Coleman was a misunderstood individual. That's according to some celebrity friends and admirers who derived more inspiration from the former child star than most people realize.

Often teased and ridiculed for being financially downtrodden and an 80's has-been reduced to menial work to survive, those who knew Gary Coleman said that the sitcom star was a humble, hard working man who never felt entitled to wealth or fame.

And in his struggle to get by, Gary Coleman continued to inspire. Only hours after Coleman's death, friend and fellow actor Jamie Kennedy opened up to People magazine and admitted that Coleman was one of his professional inspirations.

"We were filming in downtown Los Angeles and I pulled up to the [set] and looked over and saw this security guard. It was a little guy," Kennedy recalls of his first meeting with Coleman.

"I said, 'Gary, how you doing, man?' and he said, 'You know, trying to put the pieces back together," says Kennedy.

"I said, 'Why are you here?'" recalled Kennedy. "He said, 'I need a job, man.' I said, 'But you’re Gary Coleman.' And he said, 'That don’t mean nothing.'"

Kennedy would go on to describe the meeting as "humbling."

"[Diff'rent Strokes] was a pop culture phenomenon and here he was guarding my trailer. I remember just looking at him. I used to watch him all the time. I used to recite all his lines. He was one of the reasons I wanted to get into Hollywood."

Gary Coleman, however, didn't seem embarrassed or ashamed. He just did his job and was a man about his situation. And despite seeming cold and gruff on occasion, he was a real "sweetheart" in person, reveals Kennedy.

"He was really cool about it. He was a sweetheart. I just thought, 'Enjoy your moment and be humble, because anything could happen. And now the poor guy is gone."