# Alan Thicke dead at 69 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [December 14, 2016, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653 "2016-12-14T02:16:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/1 "2016-12-14T02:16:39Z")
[Yeesh.](https://www.yahoo.com/tv/alan-thicke-dead-age-69-015859409.html) Seemed totally healthy and very young. I’m super surprised. Loved the cheesey Growing Pains as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/2 "2016-12-14T02:19:34Z")
Confirmed. Heart attack while playing hockey with his son. How Canadian. Sent from my adequate mobile device using Tapatalk. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/3 "2016-12-14T02:19:38Z")
It’s a sign of the times that 69 seems so young to die for us. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/4 "2016-12-14T02:28:22Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > It’s a sign of the times that 69 seems so young to die for us. I know and I was aware of that as I wrote it. He just seemed active and healthy. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/5 "2016-12-14T02:37:33Z")
Aw, damn. Must suck for the son. Was it the one who sings? The Blurred Lines guy. Why can’t I remember his name? Nope, not the singer. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/6 "2016-12-14T02:37:56Z")
This is a real shocker. He did seem quite fit and healthy. ---
**Author:** ![blue\_infinity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_infinity/32/2817_2.png) [@blue\_infinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blue_infinity)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/7 "2016-12-14T02:43:21Z")
Damn, why couldn’t it have been Kirk Cameron. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/8 "2016-12-14T02:47:14Z")
In case anyone is interested, Thicke was just on [q](http://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/schedule-for-thursday-december-8-2016-1.3885126/why-alan-thicke-was-drawn-to-playing-a-not-so-perfect-father-in-his-new-film-1.3885211) last week, I haven’t heard the interview yet but I will now. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/9 "2016-12-14T02:48:02Z")
Alan had a good life. Still very active and still playing his favorite sport at 69. I know his family is hurting. Losing someone just before Christmas is very difficult. RIP Alan ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/10 "2016-12-14T03:08:45Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > It’s a sign of the times that 69 seems so young to die for us. David Bowie, Alan Rickman, and Patty Duke were also 69. Apparently it’s the new 27. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/11 "2016-12-14T03:18:08Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Aw, damn. Must suck for the son. Was it the one who sings? The Blurred Lines guy. Why can’t I remember his name? Nope, not the singer. No, it was one of his other sons, Carter. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/12 "2016-12-14T03:33:22Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > David Bowie, Alan Rickman, and Patty Duke were also 69. Apparently it’s the new 27. Greg Lake, too. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/13 "2016-12-14T03:42:39Z")
Geez, he posted on Twitter five hours ago! They didn’t waste any time. RIP, Alan. He seemed like a decent guy. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/14 "2016-12-14T04:29:34Z")
RIP Alan. You were a great TV dad. I didn’t know that he wrote the theme song for _Diff’rent Strokes_. That’s one of the better TV themes out there. ---
**Author:** ![Jane\_Smythe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f04885/32.png) [@Jane\_Smythe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jane_Smythe)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/15 "2016-12-14T05:24:49Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > It’s a sign of the times that 69 seems so young to die for us. Having just turned 65, 69 seems too young to die. I’m just getting ready to retire and would like more than 4 years to enjoy my retirement. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/16 "2016-12-14T06:17:47Z")
> [@Sefton](#): > > I didn’t know that he wrote the theme song for _Diff’rent Strokes_. That’s one of the better TV themes out there. My immediate reaction to this news was to begin singing the theme from “The Facts of Life”. _You take the good You take the bad You take them both And there you have The fact of life, the facts of life…_ I just saw him in the first episode of _This Is Us_ a few months ago. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/17 "2016-12-14T07:47:55Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > My immediate reaction to this news was to begin singing the theme from “The Facts of Life”. > > _You take the good > You take the bad > You take them both > And there you have > The fact of life, the facts of life…_ Ditto. Must be something perverse in the genes. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/18 "2016-12-14T12:49:32Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > This is a real shocker. He did seem quite fit and healthy. He was on the Nerdist podcast a little while ago talking about a health scare that came up when he was playing hockey. Something to do with a collapsed lung and almost dying. I was surprised then that he was having health issues. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/19 "2016-12-14T12:53:24Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > I just saw him in the first episode of _This Is Us_ a few months ago. ☹ I told my wife “I guess we won’t be seeing him in ‘The Man-ny’ any more.” RIP Alan. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653/20 "2016-12-14T15:23:03Z")
Seems like I heard this years ago. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-thicke-dead-at-69/774653.md?page=2)