Alan Thicke, a versatile performer who gained his greatest renown as the beloved dad on a long-running sitcom, has died at age 69.
Carleen Donovan, who is a publicist for Thicke's son, singer Robin Thicke, said the actor died from a heart attack Tuesday in Los Angeles. She had no further details.
Thicke was a Canadian-born TV host, writer, composer and actor well-known in his homeland before making his name in the United States, most notably with the ABC series Growing Pains.
On that comedy, which aired from 1985 to 1992, Thicke played Dr. Jason Seaver, a psychiatrist and father-knows-best who moved his practice into his home so his wife could go back to work as a reporter. Along with his clients, he had three (later four) kids under foot, including his oldest son, Mike, played by breakout heart-throb Kirk Cameron, who served as a constant source of comedic trouble for the family.
Born in Ontario, Canada, in 1947, Thicke was nominated for three Emmy Awards for his work in the late 1970s as a writer for Barry Manilow's talk show, and later for a satirical take on the genre in the variety show America 2-Night.
He composed several popular theme songs, including the original theme for The Wheel of Fortune and other shows including The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes.
Perhaps his boldest assault on the U.S. market was as a virtual unknown taking on the King of Late Night, Johnny Carson. Thicke of the Night was a syndicated talk-music-and-comedy show meant to go head-to-head against NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
It premiered in September 1983 with great fanfare, boasting an innovative format and regulars including Richard Belzer, Arsenio Hall, Gilbert Gottfried and Fred Willard. But all too quickly, it was evident that Carson wasn't going to be dethroned, and the ambitious Thicke disappeared into the night after one season.
In the 1990s and beyond, Thicke stayed busy as a celebrity TV host and with guest shots on dozens of series, including How I Met Your Mother and, this year, the Netflix series Fuller House and the NBC drama This Is Us.
Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.