Lamont Bentley

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Lamont Bentley

Born	Artimus Lamont Bentley October 25, 1973(1973-10-25) Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Died	January 19, 2005 (aged 31) Los Angeles, California

Artimus Lamont Bentley (October 25, 1973 – January 19, 2005) was an American television and film actor. He was known for his role as Hakeem Campbell on Moesha, C-Money in The Wash, and Crazy K in Tales from the Hood, MC Hammer's Too Leggit To Quit.

Bentley was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and moved to Los Angeles with his mother, Loyce, who wished to ignite her career as a singer. Bentley was befriended by author and hotel magnate Christopher Spencer, who was his personal manager during his career on Moesha. Spencer and Bentley later parted company when Spencer sued Bentley in Los Angeles Superior Court for failing to pay his management commissions. Bentley attempted to thwart the suit by filing a case with the Labor Commissioner alleging Spencer acted illegal as an agent without a license. Spencer prevailed when it was proven that an attorney negotiated all Bentley's contracts and Spencer was vindicated when the Labor Commissioner found that he was performing services in a legal manner. Bentley later settled the lawsuit with Spencer for an undisclosed sum, but the two; who had been friends since Bentley's childhood, allegedly never spoke to each other again.

He was involved in a lawsuit with a security guard at Sunset/Gower Studios in Hollywood in which the guard accused Bentley and his friends of beating him.

Bentley was sued for unpaid child support.

Bentley was arrested numerous times for various alleged crimes including purchasing alcohol for minors, making terrorist threats at an airport, drunk driving, transporting drugs across the Canadian border and others.

Despite Bentley's family image on "Moesha", his personal life was filled with great turbulence, scandal and legal problems.

On January 18, 2005, he was killed in a single-car accident in southern California's Ventura County. He was driving on Highway 118 near Simi Valley (which is 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles) when his vehicle went over an embankment, ejecting him (the sole occupant) from the vehicle and into traffic where five cars struck him.^[1]^[2] He was 31 and the father of two young daughters, Artesia and Brazil.