Alan Thicke, who died Tuesday at the age of 69, was widely known for his starring role as Dr. Jason Seaver on Growing Pains — but it was a role he almost didn’t get.

When the role first came up, Thicke was coming off the failure of his 1983 syndicated late night talk show Thicke of the Night — which was meant to rival Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show but ended up being canceled within its first year. His reputation damaged, Thicke was worried the show’s demise might have actually marked the end of his on-camera career.

“Every time I read about it,...

“Growing Pains” dad Alan Thicke has died, TheWrap has confirmed. He was 69. The actor suffered a heart attack while playing hockey with his 19-year-old son, Carter, and was transported to a hospital in Burbank, California, Tuesday afternoon, TMZ reported. Thicke played Jason Seaver, the father on sitcom “Growing Pains,” which ran for seven seasons from 1985-1992 on ABC. The show garnered him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in 1988. The sitcom spawned two TV movie spinoffs, “The Growing Pains Movie” in 2000 and “Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers,” in 2004, with Thicke reprising his role and the original cast, including Joanne Kerns,...

One of the most iconic sitcoms of the 1980s, Growing Pains debuted on September 24, 1985. The show ran for seven seasons and 166 episodes on ABC. It told the story of the Seavers: psychologist Jason (Alan Thicke) and reporter Maggie (Joanna Kerns) and their children, Brainy Carol (Tracey Gold), troublemaker Mike (Kirk Cameron), and ever-hungry Ben (Jeremy Miller). As the kids grew up and ratings started to decline, a new daughter Chrissy (Ashley Johnson) and homeless teen Luke Brower (Leonardo DiCaprio) were added. The series closed on April 25, 1992 with the family selling their house and recalling past events.

The family reunited on November 5, 2000 for The Growing Pains Movie as part of The Wonderful World of Disney. Eight years have passed since the family sold their house and Maggie and Jason are living and working in Washington DC. The three older kids are out on their own, Chrissy is a film student, and.