The year 2016 has been an awful year it comes to famous faces passing away, and Growing Pains actor Alan Thicke is the latest tragedy. He died yesterday due to a heart attack as he played hockey with his son Carter. His famous son Robin Thicke has come out and shared a message that is a fitting and loving tribute to his father. Take a look:
Robin Thicke's Instagram tribute to his father is a touching look into the relationship between the two men. The fact that the singer considered his dad a wonderful friend in addition to a loving and joyous father makes the message all the more touching. Many have clearly been affected by his words about his father; the picture has already gained more than 66 thousand likes and nearly 6 thousand comments at the time of this writing, when the post had only been up for twelve hours online.
Alan Thicke was a legendary sitcom dad back in the late 80s and early 90s thanks to his role as Jason Seaver on Growing Pains. An entire generation of TV viewers knew him as a fun and funny father who brought the laughs on a regular basis, so his passing is undoubtedly the worst kind of surprise to fans of the show. After all, Thicke wasn't exactly an old man. He was only 69 years-old at the time of his death.
Of course, fans aren't going to be nearly as affected by Alan Thicke's death as his family, and our condolences go out to his wife and children in this difficult time. Still, it was heartening to see Robin Thicke take the time to post his thoughts on Instagram, and he didn't pass on a message of grief or mourning. Robin shared his memories of his father's joy and goodness rather than overwhelming sadness at his death.
Robin Thicke was a controversial public figure not so long ago due to both the risque nature of his "Blurred Lines" music video and a lawsuit defending "Blurred Lines" as an original track rather than a song with elements stolen from other artists. The publicity wasn't always good, but it certainly kept the buzz going around his music career, and "Blurred Lines" was one of the biggest songs of 2013. He followed a different career path than his father, although both found their biggest successes in showbiz.
As much as Alan Thicke is generally known for his work on Growing Pains, he had a music career of his own. He was a composer of theme songs for several TV shows, including The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes. None of his songs were at all similar to "Blurred Lines" or any of Robin Thicke's other hits, but the two clearly shared an appreciation for music. Hopefully Robin will continue to find ways to honor his father in the years to come.
