When Kirk Cameron met Mike Thicke for the new, he was only 14. But instantly the mature acting professional, who would go on to play his dad on "Growing Pains" for seven periods, made a actual impact.


"I ... keep in mind considering, 'Wow, this popular Canada discuss show-host-guy appears to be different when he says terms like, 'about' and 'aye,' but he's excellent and crazy, and seems like he's going to be a really awesome dad," Cameron informed TODAY specifically on Friday, two days after Thicke died instantly from a cardiac arrest at age 69.

Cameron's preliminary respond to the affable Thicke was common, because as the acting professional remembers, Thicke really assisted the throw of the comedy gel.

"We were children members," he says. "We giggled and cried together, distributed kids wedding events, Xmas events, vacations and proved helpful together with the group as a group to make a really unique TV display. We were not just a TV near relatives. In many ways, we were a actual near relatives."

It was not just on-camera, either; the two celebrities visited and designed a long-standing relationship. "Alan was ... an knowledgeable dad through and through. He was always available on set and off to speak with me, to pay attention and comprehend, to give guidance, relaxed my younger anxiety and even discuss my enjoyment when something great occurred ... just like a good dad."


The display ran from 1985-92, during which Cameron knowledgeable his own increasing discomfort and went from a youngster to a fresh man. (He also met his upcoming spouse Several weeks Respectable, who he wedded in 1991, when she performed his character's sweetheart on the display.) But even once the display was over, he and Thicke stayed near.

"In an ever-changing world, my relationship with Mike was always a continuous," Cameron says, observing that Thicke always structured "Growing Pains" gatherings. "Meeting up with Mike, even after years had approved since we'd seen each other — we'd just get the discussion where we'd remaining off."

Sadly, that discussion is now over. But Cameron says he's discovered useful training from Thicke, and identified why the delayed acting professional was so important to him.

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"Jason Seaver [Thicke's character] on 'Growing Pains' was a man who did not take himself too seriously, but took his part as a mother very seriously," says Cameron. "Alan was just like that sort of man. ... Mike realized that period dedicated to his near relatives — even more than his profession — would be one of his biggest legacies."