Alan Thicke Played Hockey with Son until He Suddenly Fell & Died at 69 — Robin Battled Dad’s Widow for His Legacy

Alan Thicke was 69 when he collapsed from a heart attack in front of his son during a weekly hockey game. He did not wake up again the next day. His children and widow were lost while grieving for him, but after a while the struggle for the actor's inheritance came into play. Alan would be 76 in 2023. He never saw his newly born grandchildren and never became the father of 4 children, despite his dying plans.

Alan Thicke was a Canadian actor best known for his stint in the 1980s sitcom, "Growing Pains," which aired from September 1985 to April 1992 for seven seasons.

Alan played Dr. Jason Seaver, a psychiatrist working from home, in the ABC show. Actress Joanna Kerns portrayed his on-screen wife alongside Ashley Johnson, Kirk Cameron, Jeremy Miller, and Tracey Gold, who were their kids.

"Growing Pains" was a successful series that reached No. 5 in ratings. In addition to it, Alan also hosted a daytime talk show, "Thicke of the Night," launched in September 1983 for an American audience.

However, the show, produced by famed network programmer Fred Silverman, was short-lived and lasted only nine months on air, losing to "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."

Apart from his professional life, Alan was a family man who had been married three times and had three kids. His first marriage was to singer Gloria Loring, whom he wed in 1970.

The former couple had two sons together. Their eldest child is voice actor Brennan Thicke, whom they welcomed on December 10, 1946, followed by their second child, Grammy Award nominee Robin Thicke, who arrived on March 10, 1977.

In December 2016, Loring reflected on her years with Alan and revealed when they first met (in Toronto), they were immediately drawn to each other as if they had known one another from the onset of their romance.

For their first date, he invited her over for dinner with his family in Ontario, Canada, and because she is a vegetarian, they specially prepared fish dinner for her. Loring was flattered that Alan introduced her to his loved ones before they went on a date together.

Alan had a hectic schedule, making him spend less time with his wife and kids. However, the "Days of Our Lives" alum shared he did his very best to devote time to their sons in their early years. "He loved to play with them," she revealed.

But it got to a point whereby Alan was obligated to do three shows in three different locations, and she told him it was too much. Still, Loring understood that her spouse was trying to build his career because he loved working and enjoyed the creative process.

The game show host managed to remain devoted to his family, but that was not enough. He and Loring separated in 1984 and later divorced in 1986. Despite parting ways, they did so on good grounds, and the mother of two credited the songwriter for their unbreakable bond to remain committed to co-parenting their children. She said:

"He was always enormously kind and thoughtful to my family members. We had family events where my family was invited to his home. I think it was just our commitment to family."

Following their divorce, Alan tied the knot again to model Gina Tolleson in 1994. They welcomed their actor son Carter Thicke on July 10, July 1997. But after five years of marriage, they divorced in 1999.

The same year they split, Alan met his future third wife, Tanya Callau, in Miami, where they both had gigs. Upon meeting, sparks flew instantly, and they started dating.

Alan and the Bolivian-born actress dated for six years before he proposed. The lovebirds got hitched only weeks after announcing their engagement.

They walked down the aisle on May 7, 2005, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Alan's youngest son Carter was only seven years old when he served as the ring bearer.

The wedding ring featured six-and-a-half-carat diamonds, and the groom helped his son remember his ring duty before the ceremony. But he used a prop wedding band worth $8 because the real one was being engraved at the time of the nuptials.

He revealed the prop ring was the same one he wore from his time on "Growing Pains." Alan's most famous son Robin serenaded him and his new bride at the reception with "Let's Stay Together." Of the ceremony, Callau gushed:

"Alan made all my dreams come true so I'm a very happy bride."

Meanwhile, he said: "She makes me feel adored and I need that and I love that." In his wedding vows, the "Stop the Wedding" star expressed:

"If the last breath I take could be to say how much I loved you, then I know my time on earth will be complete."

Alan's Sudden Death

Alan and Callau had been married for 11 years and planned to have a baby together via IVF. He went in for a physical check-up, and he was healthy. The Hall of Famer later booked an appointment with a fertility doctor because he wanted Callau to be pregnant by January 20, 2017, which is on her birthday.

Sadly, their plan to have a child fell through as he died on December 13, 2016, the day before the appointment. Alan was not home at the time, and 40 minutes before, he had spoken with his wife on the phone and told her he wanted to have chicken with some extra gravy, watch TV and have sex once he got home.

Callau responded to her husband, "Deal, I love you. I'll see you tonight." She loved when he called her, "Oh, dear. Tanya." According to the model, Alan lived a good life and was happy, and she wants his fans to know that he appreciated their comforting words of well-wishes amid his health woes.

After he passed, she said, "The sun will never shine for me again," because she was hopeless after the unfortunate circumstances. Callau found notes on Alan's desk following his death, and one included the name of Charlotte, which they would name their child.

After reading that, she was shattered, but she found peace knowing he would give her a child. Although he had three already, he wanted to share, and that is why Callau fell for him because he was selfless.

She paid tribute to her loving husband on the fourth anniversary of his death on Instagram and shared a throwback picture from their big day. Callau penned a lengthy post and noted that Alan was family oriented. "My darling – you are so loved by so many and you will forever be missed and never forgotten. Till we meet again. Love always your – W," alongside a white heart emoji.

Alan died after suffering a heart attack while playing hockey with his then-nineteen-year-old son Carter. The family patriarch was pronounced deceased later that same day at Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank, California. He was 69 years old.

In an interview, Carter shared some of his fond memories with his beloved father, which included playing hockey with him twice a week. He was with him when he collapsed on the ice rink, but he never lost consciousness.

Alan took the incident lightly and even joked, asking Carter to take a photo of him with the EMTs. The rink manager, Darren Matthewson, told Inside Edition that Alan gave them a thumbs-up while his son was distraught. According to Matthewson, the actor's color had changed, but he was still talking at that point. Cardiac surgeon, Dr. Oz, said Alan's heart attack may have been caused by the cold temperature in the rink.

When asked what that moment was like for Carter, he said it was a "relief" because the medics stabilized his dad. Alan seemed cheerful, happy, full of life, and energetic, and there was no sign that he was any different or unwell – which shocked his son.

Carter accompanied his father to the emergency room, and just before he went into the operating room, Alan was morbid as usual, and he said to his child:

"Oh, got to play hockey with my son and got to watch him score a goal. What a way to go out."

Before the father of three got wheeled into the operating room, Carter hugged him and told him how much he loved him. The youngster described what type of parent he was, saying, "He was like the perfect dad. Anything I ever needed; he was there." The day Alan passed away, Carter paid tribute to him and called him his "best friend and idol."

Meanwhile, two years after Alan's death, his middle child Robin appeared on Access Hollywood and said this about him, "He's your hero, your best friend, and your first phone call."

When recalling his father's last advice, Robin explained it was when he was going through a public drama, and he said to him: "Get back to being Robin Thicke, get your head right, believe in yourself, and you're the man." It was a confidence booster for the singer-songwriter.

Of his father's sudden passing, the R&B star said, "You never get over something like that." In addition, he dedicated a song called "Testify" to him, an ode to when he died. The song is about finding God to get through tough times.

The Los Angeles native is a dad too of four kids. Before his father died, he already had two children, Julian, born in 2010, whom he welcomed with his former wife, actress Paula Patton, and Mia in 2018, whom he shares with his fiancee, April Geary. The "Blurred Lines" hitmaker and Geary welcomed two more children, Lola in 2019 and Luca in 2020.

Legacy Battle Between Alan's Sons & His Third Wife

Five months after Alan's death, Robin and his younger brother Brennan filed a petition against his widowed wife, Callau, for his $14 million estate in May 2017. It was 24 hours before her expiration time to contest the prenup contract. In response, her attorney stated the brothers were pulling a smear campaign to intimidate her.

Robin filed a complaint in LA Superior Court, seeking to uphold their father's living trust, claiming their stepmother had insisted their prenuptial agreement was invalid. As a result, Callau was seeking a bigger cut from the estate.

Alan had reportedly left equal shares to his sons of his three-and-a-half million California ranch. It included 75% of his personal effects and 60% of his remaining estate.

Meanwhile, Callau's share included: the ranch's furnishings, 25% of his personal effects, a $500,000 life insurance policy, and 40% of his remaining estate.

According to Alan's estate plan, his wife was to stay in the property, take care of its maintenance, and pay for other costs. However, his sons claimed Callau wanted more, adding she "threatened to make the claims fodder for tabloid publicity."

Meanwhile, her attorney denied she was contesting the prenup, adding her stepsons had an agenda, and filed a bogus lawsuit while refusing family mediation. In contrast, Robin and Brennan's lawyer argued they tried to resolve the conflict in-house. Their main interest was to protect their father's legacy and honor his intentions.

Alan reportedly updated his will in February 2016 and made his brother the trustee, but he declined. The Hollywood star then appointed his sons instead of his wife, who did not complain.

In September 2017, Callau revealed on her social media that a judge threw out the case, adding she wished nothing but the best for her stepsons. The message came alongside a snapshot of the duo pictured at sunset while taking a stroll on the beach and holding hands.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Clifford Klein told Robin and Brennan's attorney, Alex Weingarten, that there was no evidence to prove Callau planned to challenge the prenuptial agreement. He suggested Weingarten's clients could file another petition if they found something more concrete to support their claims.

As for Callau, she felt like not living after losing her spouse and wanted to be with him. However, two months after he passed, she invited Hollywood medium Tyler Henry, to their home to find closure and healing.

Callau divulged that when her husband died, her whole world crashed. She was so stressed that she lost her hair, her lashes, and eyebrows:

"Losing Alan was the worst, so everything else that followed was second."

In an April 2018 interview, Callau thanked her late spouse for giving her her "sanctuary" in their shared home. They lived there together for almost 20 years, and she cherishes the memories they made.

Moreover, she still feels his presence in their humble abode. When asked how she had moved on, Callau said she had not because of Alan's love, making her feel indebted to him.

She still misses him and visits his gravesite every Tuesday. Callau had a tombstone made for Alan, which is white and marble – and she ensures that she goes there every week to clean it up.

She remembered her love on the sixth anniversary of his death in December 2022 and said while the pain does not go away, things eventually get better. Callau posted a throwback picture of her and Alan smiling.

On March 1, 2023, he paid tribute to him again on what would have been his 76th birthday. She captioned her post: "Happy Heavenly Birthday Alan!" alongside a photo of the duo kissing on the tennis court.

While Callau has spoken frankly about her loss, so did her stepson, Robin. During an April 2019 interview, he said that he had a hole in his heart after his father died and that having kids filled that hollowness with joy and warmth.

Alan's death was an awakening to his son, who realized he had to turn his life around and prioritize by focusing on his then-six-year-old son Julian. He explained:

"I wasn't in a good place when he passed, and I wasn't in a better place right after. However, a few months later, I decided to dedicate my time to raising my son, and that was a big turn for me. Instead of focusing on my music, I focused on my son. That's how I got through that period."

In addition to the loss, Robin also lost his home in the Woolsey fire of November 2018. But instead of dwelling on the unfortunate situation, he was grateful that everyone else was okay. "Loss does beget gratitude, the father of four said in a February 2021 interview.