Alan Thicke’s Wife Tanya Makes Statement After Actor’s Death

Published on December 21, 2016.

Photo By: Dee Cercone/Everett Collection

Fans, friends and especially family of beloved actor Alan Thicke have been in mourning for the past week following Thicke’s sudden and shocking death on December 13 after a heart attack.

Following the funeral for Thicke on Tuesday, December 20, his now widow Tanya Thicke released a statement expressing her “unbelievable grief” of laying her husband to rest.

“It is with gut wrenching sadness and unbelievable grief that I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the outpouring of love and support during this unimaginable time. Through tears and smiles our dearest of family and friends came together at our home t celebrate the life of my sweet and devoted husband Alan Thicke. Yesterday, along with my step sons and our combined extended family, we laid my beloved husband, soul mate and the patriarch of our family to rest. We ask that you respect our privacy during this profound mourning,” the statement read.

For fans wishing to send their sympathies, Tanya also asked that in lieu of flowers, they make a donation in Alan Thicke’s memory to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation which is “a cause that he cared about deeply.”

The TV icon’s heart attack occurred on the morning of December 13 while he was playing hockey with his son. Thicke passed away later at the hospital at the age of 69.