‘Growing Pains’ cast grieves Alan Thicke death 35 years after show’s premiere

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The cast of “Growing Pains” is lamenting the death of their patriarch Alan Thicke.

"We're just missing Alan. He always had us laughing, had me laughing," Joanna Kerns, who played Maggie, said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight in recognition of the show’s 35th anniversary.

"He was one of the most charming men I'd ever met," she said. "I think I was a little old for him … But we became really good friends. I saw him a week before he passed."

Thicke played the role of Seaver family headman Dr. Jason Seaver on the beloved sitcom and Jeremy Miller, who portrayed Ben, said he constantly longs to hear Thicke’s voice nearly four years after his death in Dec. 2016 at age 69.

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This 1991 image released by ABC shows the cast of "Growing Pains," standing from left, Leonardo DiCaprio, Alan Thicke and Jeremy Miller, with Kirk Cameron, seated center left, and Joanna Kerns, seated center right, and Tracey Gold, seated left on floor and Ashley Johnson. Thicke, who played Dr. Jason Seaver, a psychiatrist and ideal TV dad, died on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (Bob D'Amico/ABC via AP)

Thicke collapsed while playing hockey with his youngest son at the Pickwick Gardens ice skating rink in Burbank, Calif. He later died at the hospital after his aorta artery tore then ruptured.

"It's been years now and I still reach for the phone occasionally, just thinking, 'I haven't talked to Alan in a while and want to say hi,'" said Miller. "He was a huge part of our lives."

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“Growing Pains” debuted its first episode on Sept. 24, 1985, before it would go on its seven-season run, airing 166 episodes in the process.

CIRCA 1990: GROWING PAINS - cast gallery - Season Five - 1/1/90, Kirk Cameron (Mike), Tracey Gold (Carol), Alan Thicke (Jason), Ashley Johnson (Chrissy), Joanna Kerns (Maggie), Jeremy Miller (Ben), (Photo by Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)

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The cast came together in a virtual reunion for the special occasion and to recollect on their favorite memories from the set.

"It always felt like I was coming to my second family when we were on the set," Kirk Cameron said of his time on the series, adding that Thicke often gave him advice on how to go about approaching the ladies – including Cameron’s now-wife Chelsea Noble.

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"I knew that I had to talk to Chelsea before he talked to Chelsea," he quipped. "And I'm really glad that I did. It worked out really well for me personally, and here we are 29 years later with six kids."