TV patriarch Alan Thicke of 'Growing Pains' dies
Actor and composer Alan Thicke was best known for portraying father Jason on the 1980s ABC sitcom 'Growing Pains,' which co-starred Joanna Kerns and Kirk Cameron.
Alan Thicke poses in the pressroom at the 42nd annual Daytime Emmy Awards at Warner Bros. Studios on April 26, 2015, in Burbank, Calif.
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/File
Actor Alan Thicke, likely best known for playing the patriarch on the 1980s ABC sitcom 鈥淕rowing Pains,鈥� has died.
Mr. Thicke also wrote several TV theme songs of the era, including co-writing the opening songs for the sitcoms 鈥淭he Facts of Life鈥� and 鈥淒iff鈥檙ent Strokes,鈥� both of which aired on NBC.聽
His sitcom, 鈥淕rowing Pains,鈥� aired from 1985 to 1992. Thicke starred as psychiatrist Jason Seaver, the patriarch of a family that included wife Maggie (Joanna Kerns), sons Mike (Kirk Cameron) and Ben (Jeremy Miller) and daughters Carol (Tracey Gold) and Chrissy (Ashley Johnson). Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio appeared on the program during the show鈥檚 seventh and final season.
, the show's popularity peaked during the 1987-1988 season, when it ranked at number five, above such shows as 鈥淲ho鈥檚 the Boss?鈥� and 鈥淭he Wonder Years.鈥澛�
Thicke more recently appeared as a guest star on shows such as 鈥淭his Is Us,鈥� 鈥淔uller House,鈥� and 鈥淗ow I Met Your Mother.鈥�
Before his success as an actor, he worked as a head writer on the TV show 鈥淔ernwood Tonight,鈥� a syndicated program that aired in 1977, and he also wrote for other TV programs such as the 1972 ABC show 鈥淭he Paul Lynde Show.鈥澛�
New York Times writers Christopher Mele and Niraj Chokshi said Thicke 聽on 鈥淕rowing Pains,鈥� writing that 鈥淭hicke had a genial warmth that he projected across all of his television work." They described his character, Jason, as "a classic 1980s formulation of the reassuring father, [who] solved everyone鈥檚 problems with a warm homily by the end of each 30-minute episode.鈥�
Hollywood Reporter writer Daniel Fienberg called Thicke a ","聽writing that by 鈥渆ffortlessly projecting decency, warmth, and good sense, the 鈥楪rowing Pains鈥� star was in many ways the ultimate TV dad 鈥� Thicke knew how to hit a punchline and he improved every show he starred on or guested on.鈥�