Alan Thicke’s passing came as a shocking and heartbreaking addition to a long list of famous names lost in 2016. The Growing Pains star and go-to guy for your weird nostalgic cameo in any number of comedy shows. It’s a damn shame to lose the guy, especially in such a sudden nature. Hollywood shared their thoughts about Thicke, including a goodbye from his son Robin Thicke, but one of the truly touching might be from his youngest TV son: Leonardo DiCaprio.
DiCaprio posted his thoughts on Facebook, heaping praise on his late television father and trying to capture the kind of guy Thicke was away from the cameras:
Alan was a devoted father, husband, friend and role model. He knew how to harness the power of the entertainment industry to be a positive influence in so many lives – including mine. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity I had to work with Alan early in my career. He had tremendous class, a huge heart, and he taught me and so many others the valuable lessons about humility and gratitude.
And while it might be hard to think it given his role on Growing Pains, DiCaprio made sure people know that Thicke wasn’t some lame TV dad in real life:
I’ve seen him a number of times over the years and when Alan Thicke walked in the room, quite frankly, no one was cooler.
You can read the whole tribute below and continue to count down the days until 2016 is over. If we can get through it without another death, we can start to build a case that 2017 is the new worst year ever.
(Via Facebook)