“Growing Pains” dad Alan Thicke has died, TheWrap has confirmed. He was 69.
The actor suffered a heart attack while playing hockey with his 19-year-old son, Carter, and was transported to a hospital in Burbank, California, Tuesday afternoon, TMZ reported.
Thicke played Jason Seaver, the father on sitcom “Growing Pains,” which ran for seven seasons from 1985-1992 on ABC. The show garnered him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in 1988.
The sitcom spawned two TV movie spinoffs, “The Growing Pains Movie” in 2000 and “Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers,” in 2004, with Thicke reprising his role and the original cast, including Joanne Kerns, Kirk Cameron and Tracey Gold returning as the Seaver clan.
Born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Thicke got his start on Canadian TV, where he hosted a game show and then wrote for Norman Lear’s “Fernwood 2-Night.” A prolific songwriter, Thicke also wrote the theme songs to shows like “Diff’rent Strokes” and “Facts of Life.”
In 2014, Thicke appeared on his own show, “Unusually Thicke,” a sitcom-reality hybrid that saw the actor play a fictionalized version of himself on a show based on his life.
He stayed active with acting and hosting gigs, most recently playing himself on an episode of NBC’s “This Is Us” and also appeared on an episode of “Fuller House.” Other recent roles included guest spots on shows including “Scream Queens,” “American Dad” and “The Eric Andre Show.”
Thicke was also very active on social media, tweeting, “Season 2 Fuller House looking good. I even like the ones I’m not in!” just hours before his death.
In 2013, Thicke was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame.
He is survived by sons Robin, Brennan and Carter, and his wife Tanya.