Canadian actor Alan Thicke, star of 'Growing Pains,' dead at 69

LOS ANGELES: Canadian actor Alan Thicke, best known for his role as the dad in 1980s sitcom "Growing Pains" and as the father of singer Robin Thicke, has died, his publicity agency said on Twitter. He was 69.
Thicke, who became a household name after starring as psychiatrist Jason Seaver in the US series "Growing Pains," reportedly suffered a heart attack while playing hockey with his son Carter, the Los Angeles Times daily reported.
Thicke's son Robin told the paper Tuesday evening that his father was "the greatest man I ever met" and had been an inspiration to his pop music career.
In addition to a variety of television roles, Thicke helped write theme songs for a number of shows, including "Wheel of Fortune," "Diff'rent Strokes" and "The Facts of Life."
The Canadian actor recently appeared in the first season of Netflix's "Full House" reboot.
On Tuesday, Thicke had tweeted: "Season 2 Fuller House looking good. I even like the ones I'm not in!"
"Growing Pains," which ran from 1985 to 1992, saw Thicke nominated for a Golden Globe.
He also appeared in the soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful," hosted "The Alan Thicke Show" daytime talk programme for three years, and tried his hand at a largely unsuccessful nighttime talk show called "Thicke of the Night" for one season beginning in 1983.
"AlanThicke a joy for us 2 represent His big-heart and sense of humor 1-f-a-kind. More importantly, family was his priority. Miss him already," Integrated PR Agency, which represented Thicke, tweeted Tuesday.
According to US media, Thicke was taken to Providence St Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank, California, where he was pronounced dead.
"I'm sad beyond words that Alan Thicke has passed away. I've known you since I was 8 years old and so glad I had the pleasure of working with you again so recently on Fuller House," Candace Cameron Bure, one of the stars of "Full House," wrote on Instagram.
US comedian Ellen DeGeneres posted on Twitter: "America loved Alan Thicke. I'm so sad he's gone. Sending so much love to his family."
Thicke, who was born in Ontario, Canada in 1947, is survived by his wife Tanya Callau as well as two sons from his first marriage, including Robin Thicke, and one other son, Carter, from a subsequent marriage. — AFP