Reaction coming near and far on Alan Thicke passing

Alan Thicke — a versatile Canadian-born performer who gained his greatest fame as the beloved dad on a long-running sitcom — has died at age 69.

Carleen Donovan, who is a publicist for Thicke’s son, singer Robin Thicke, says the Kirkland Lake native died from a heart attack yesterday in Los Angeles but gave no further details.

“We’re certainly sad to hear of the sudden passing of Mr. Thicke,” said Kirkland Lake Mayor Tony Antoniazzi.

“For years, Alan has been a real strong advocate of Kirkland Lake and certainly sad to hear him passing away.”

Antoniazzi says Thicke was often a visitor to the community to see his grandparents, and was always available to the people.

Thicke starred in the A-B-C series “Growing Pains” from 1985 until 1992.

He played Dr. Jason Seaver, a psychiatrist and father who moved his practice into his home so his wife could return to work as a reporter.

Thicke, who was also a composer and a writer, more recently had cameos on the comedy “How I Met Your Mother” and the Netflix series “Fuller House” and was a frequent pitchman for ads on Sirius.

Thicke was born in 1947 and was a popular talk show host on Canadian television before making his name in the United States.

He was nominated for three Emmy Awards in the late 1970s as a writer for Barry Manilow’s talk show, and later for a satirical take on the genre in the variety show “America 2-Night.”

In the early 80’s, Thicke starred on “Thicke of the Night” — a talk-music-and-comedy show meant to take on Johnny Carson, but it faded quickly.

Thicke composed several theme songs, including the “The Wheel of Fortune” tune and for shows such as “The Facts of Life” and “Diff’rent Strokes.”

Singer Anne Murray is one of several Canadian entertainers to mourn Thicke’s death, saying she was “shocked and devastated” by the news.

(With files from The Canadian Press)