Stars From Growing Pains You Didn't Know Died

There would be no "Growing Pains" without Alan Thicke. Much of the show's humor and heart stemmed from his character Dr. Jason Seaver's attempts to raise his troublesome kids. Even after the series' end, the character remained close to Thicke's heart. "Jason Seaver was the kind of parent that I would aspire to be if I had 12 writers following me around, and I like that there's a whole generation of people that still come up to me and say, 'You raised me. You're my dad, I grew up on you,'" Thicke told Vox in 2016.

Apart from "Growing Pains," the Canadian-born actor had quite the career. He composed music for fellow sitcoms "The Facts of Life" and "Diff'rent Strokes" in addition to regular acting spots on "The Bold and the Beautiful," "JPod," and "Hope & Gloria." Thicke was also a successful writer, even hosting his own variety show in the '80s.

Hollywood sadly lost a bright light in December 2016 when Alan Thicke died of a heart attack. Thicke collapsed while he and his youngest son, Carter, were playing hockey. The actor's death certificate revealed he had passed from a "ruptured aorta" and "standard type A aortic dissection," per People.

Thicke's older son, singer Robin Thicke, told the Los Angeles Times that his father was "the greatest man [he] ever met." Carter wrote, "I am forever grateful for the light that this man brought to my life and so many others," in a heartfelt tribute on Instagram.

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