Canadian TV star Alan Thicke dead at 69

Dec 15 2016, 1:18 am

Canadian-born actor Alan Thicke, best known for playing the dad on the ’80s TV show Growing Pains, has died at the age of 69.

Thicke suffered a fatal heart attack while playing hockey with his 19-year-old son Carter on December 14. He died at the Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California.

Thicke was born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario in 1947. He hosted the Canadian game show First Impressions in the late 1970s and went on to host The Alan Thicke Show in the early 1980s. He also wrote several well-known TV show theme songs for shows including Wheel of Fortune, Growing Pains and Diff’rent Strokes.

Thicke was best known for playing Jason Seaver, the father on the sitcom Growing Pains.

He is survived by his wife Tanya, and his three sons Robin, Brennan, and Carter.

Yesterday, singer Robin Thicke posted a tribute to his father on Instagram, writing that “he was the best man (he) ever knew.”

A photo posted by Robin Thicke (@robinthicke) on

Other celebrities and well known personalities also sent their condolences to Thicke and his family over social media.

DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff

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