Beloved Growing Pains star Alan Thicke died yesterday, and while he was 69, he was known for the spirit and personality of a much younger man.
On the tragic flip side, the actor’s youthful energy, enthusiasm and lifestyle may have indirectly played a role in his unexpected, tragic death.
Thicke’s cause of death can be attributed to an extreme heart attack while playing ice hockey, a longtime passion of his, in Los Angeles.
Alan and his youngest child, 19-year old son Carter, often played hockey together in Burbank, Calif., and were doing so again yesterday.
Around 11 a.m., Alan started feeling pain in his chest.
He grew nauseous and vomited, according to TMZ, and Alan was transported to Providence St. Joseph’s Medical Center around noon.
He was pronounced dead there shortly after.
Following a medical examination of Thicke, doctors concluded that some of his organs could be donated, according to law enforcement.
As for some of the star’s final words?
An employee at the Pickwick Ice Rink told NBC Los Angeles that Thicke joked to Carter to “take a picture” as paramedics rolled him out.
Thicke, a native of Ontario, is survived by his three sons, Carter, Brennan, and most famously, the “Blurred Lines” singer Robin Thicke.
He earned a Golden Globe nomination for Growing Pains in 1988, having won acclaim for his portrayal of Dr. Jason Seaver in the series.
The actor also had a pair of Emmy Award nominations to his name for The Barry Manilow Special (1977) and America 2-Night (1978).
Thicke could be seen in Fuller House and, if you watch This Is Us online, you recall that he recently played himself on the pilot on NBC.
Alan was married three times, to Gloria Loring from 1970 to 1984, to Gina Tolleson from 1994 to 1999, and Tanya Callau, since 2005.
Thicke was a frequent guest on talk shows and game shows, and in the early 1980s, hosted his own, fittingly called The Alan Thicke Show.
Many fans probably don’t know that he was also a composer, writing themes for Diff’rent Strokes, The Facts of Life and other shows.
Thicke’s most recent project was The Clapper, in which he plays himself (a fine person to play) alongside Amanda Seyfried and Ed Helms.
His family also starred in the reality series Unusually Thicke.
He will be missed! Not surprisingly, Thicke’s death has led to an outpouring of support on social media. See some of the tributes here:
