Carter Thicke opened up about his final moments with his late father, Alan, in an emotional new interview with Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday, January 31.
As previously reported, the 19-year-old was playing hockey with his famous father at Pickwick Gardens ice skating rink in Burbank, California, when the Growing Pains star suffered a heart attack and collapsed on December 13. He later died at the hospital. He was 69.
“The ambulance came and the paramedics had stabilized him and everything seemed fine,” Carter told ET, recalling that he initially thought his dad would be OK. “I got to give him a hug and said, ‘I love you,’ and that was the last time I saw him.… He was, like, the perfect dad.”
The teen is the TV icon’s youngest son. Alan is also the dad of Brennan and singer Robin. The beloved TV icon was married to Tanya, and twice before to Gloria Loring and Gina Tolleson.
In an emotional Instagram post penned by Carter shortly after his dad’s death, the teen also paid tribute to his father.
“Today I lost my best friend and my idol, and the world lost one of it’s finest. I have never known a more kind, loving, hairy, and generous person in my life and I am forever grateful for the light that this man brought to my life and so many others,” he captioned a sweet photo with Alan. “You will be missed every second of every day. You are a legend and I love you Pops. Until next time.”
