Fans are mourning the loss of yet another Hollywood icon, as this year comes to a close that has taken more beloved entertainers than most.Alan Thicke, best known for starring on the hit 1980s sitcomGrowing Pains, haspassed awayat the age of 69. Early reports claim that the actor suffered a heart attack while playing hockey in Burbank, California with his 19-year-old son, Carter.
TMZreports that the late actor regularly played hockey at a skating rink in Burbank, California. The site says that, around 11 AM, he started having chest pains and became nauseous before vomiting on the ice. An ambulance picked him up at approximately 11:30 AM where he was transported to Providence St. Joseph’s Medical Center, where he waspronounced deadaround 12 PM. Law enforcement official also revealed that a company which recovers organs from the deceased was contacted, so his organs could be donated.
Alan Thickewas born Alan Willis Jeffrey on June 13, 2025 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada, and he graduated from Elliot Lake High School in 1965, and he was also elected Homecoming King. He attended the University of Western Ontario, where he became a member of the Delta Epsilon fraternity. Thelate actorgot his start in show business by writing for shows such asFernwood Tonight,The Paul Lynde Show,The Bobby Derin Show,America 2-NiteandThe Bobby Vynton Show. He also had a successful career composing TV theme songs, including the themes for hit 1980s sitcomesDiff’rent StrokesandThe Facts of Life, along with the original theme song toWheel of Fortune.
He is best known for his work in front of the camera, though, with his acting breakthrough coming in 1985 with the hit sitcomGrowing Pains.Alan Thickeplayed Dr. Jason Seaver, the patriarch of a Long Island, New York family, who worked at home as a psychiatrist, withJoanna Kernsplaying his wife Maggie, a journalist. The show ran for seven seasons between 1985 and 1992, launching the careers of the Seaver children,Kirk Cameron,Tracey Gold,Jeremy Miller, andAshley Johnson. The show also provided an early showcase for eventual Oscar winnerLeonardo DiCaprio, in the role of a troubled kid who the Seavers take under their wing.
AfterGrowing Painswent off the air in 1992, he returned as Jason Seaver in the 2004 TV movieGrowing Pains: Return of the Seavers. Alan Thicke also starred inHope & Gloriaand films such asAlpha Dog,The GoodsandHemingway. Most recently, he guest-starred on the pilot episode of NBC’sThis Is Us, Fox’sScream QueensandFuller House. The actor’ssudden deathquickly became a trending topic on Twitter, with a umber of stars from the Hollywood community and beyond, paying their respects. The actor issurvived byhis three sons, singerRobin Thicke,Brennan ThickeandCarter Thicke, along with his wife,Tanya. Take a look at the tributes toAlan Thickethat have started pouring in after news of his death first broke.
