Writer, TV theme song composer, and Growing Pains dad, Alan Thicke dead at 69

Actor, writer, producer, singer, and father Alan Thicke passed away on December 13, 2016, at the age of 69. Thicke had a recurring role on CBS's The Bold and the Beautiful.

Alan Thicke, an actor best-known for his role on the 1980s sitcom Growing Pains, has died of a heart attack. He was 69.

Born Alan Willis Jeffery on March 1, 1947, in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada, Thicke enjoyed a successful career as a writer, producer, and game show host in the 1970s and early 1980s. He is best remembered for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Jason Seaver in the family sitcom Growing Pains, which aired on ABC for seven seasons, from 1985-1992.

Thicke had multiple ties to the soap world. He was married to former Days of our Lives star Gloria Loring (ex-Liz Chandler) from 1970 to 1984. Thicke and Loring are the parents of singer Robin Thicke.

"Thank you for your kindness concerning Alan Thicke's passing," Loring wrote on Facebook. "It is a shock. We were all just together for Thanksgiving. He was talented, funny and deeply devoted to his family. Rest In Peace, dear one."

From 2006 to 2009, Thicke appeared in a recurring role as talk show host Rich Ginger on CBS's The Bold and the Beautiful.

More recently, Thicke served as the television spokesperson for Optima Tax Relief and appeared on NBC's This Is Us and the Netflix series Fuller House.

In addition to appearing on-screen, Thicke's voice can also be heard singing the memorable theme songs to Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life, which he also wrote.

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Thicke is survived by 3 sons -- Robin, Brennan, and Carter, and wife, Tanya.

What are some of your favorite memories of Alan Thicke? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.

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