Alan Thicke Had A Heart Attack While Playing Hockey With His Son, And A Celeb Death Has Finally Hit My Feels

YahooSports- Alan Thicke, Canadian actor and dedicated NHL fan, died playing hockey with his son on Tuesday. He was 69 years old.

According to TMZ, Thicke was playing hockey with his 19-year-old son, Carter, when he suffered a heart attack. He was transported to Providence St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Burbank around noon local time and pronounced dead soon after.

Thicke is survived by his wife, Tanya, and three sons: Robin, Brennan and Carter.

With a career that spanned back to the 1960s, he was best known for his role as Dr. Jason Seaver on the ABC sitcom “Growing Pains” from 1985-92. But Thicke crafted a career that included a slew of appearances as an actor and as himself, hosting a late night talk show (“Thick Of The Night,” 1983-84) and serving as a panelist on game shows like “Match Game.” He also wrote the theme songs for shows like “Diff’rent Strokes” and “The Facts of Life.”

Thicke was a lifelong NHL fan, and had a rather surreal relationship with the sport and its personalities.

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I'm not much of a "ugggggh 2016" guy, but I swear to God if we were two and a half measly weeks away from avoiding this then I'll never forgive the year that brought us so many celebrity deaths that it's starting to feels like the Grim Reaper grew up without a TV in his house and just recently found out what he missed out on. Before last night I would have told you I'm not effected by the passing of famous people. In fact, I think I was one of the few to grow tired of Paul Walker tributes before I grew tired of 'Fast and Furious' movies. As it turns out, the famous person just has to be a sitcom father figure from my childhood and the tears just start instictively rolling faster than the loop I have kept the 'Growing Pains' theme song on since last night.

Maybe that's because Alan Thicke had a hand in raising me by keeping my dumb ass glued to the couch and out of trouble. Maybe it's because he was a hockey enthusiast and they aren't nearly enough of those in the public eye. Maybe it's because I literally just listened to him on 'The Dan Le Batard Show' no more than a week ago. Maybe it's because the second I accepted the news - that felt far too stereotypically Canadian to be real - I instantly starting listening to a theme song that plays much more emotionally when serving as a tribute to the memory of a man while a montage of his pictures from his youth flash on the screen. Seriously though, I'm supposed to hear that Alan Thicke is never going to "show me that smile agaaaain" and not waste anotttther minute on my crying? I know I don't show it much, but there is a heart in there somewhere. Why God, WHY?!? If someone from 'Growing Pains' had to die to provide us with a haunting reminder of the pain of growing then couldn't you just take Carol's self important ass to the afterlife?