Alan Thicke Cause of Death: Dr. Oz Reveals His Thoughts On 'Growing Pains' Star Passing Away [VIDEO]
Dr. Mehmet Oz is offering up his own perspective on Alan Thicke's sudden death on Tuesday.
Thicke suffered a heart attack Tuesday while playing hockey with his son, Carter, and was taken to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Calif. where he was soon pronounced dead. As various celebrities and co-stars continue to offer their condolences, Dr. Oz is offering his own take on Thicke's death.
"[He] is the classic American Father, but unfortunately succumbed to the main reason Americans lose their fathers," Dr. Oz explained in a new interview with Us Weekly. "We have made major inroads to reduce the loss of life by over half in Alan's lifetime, but as evidenced by his loss, we still have a long way to go."
He noted that heart attacks are more common in winter, due to "a sedentary lifestyle and sudden activity in cold weather." Dr. Oz noted that while Thicke was fully cognizant and coherent as was being taken to the hospital, the actor's ultimate death was not entirely out of the ordinary.
"He was awake while going to hospital and even feeling better because either the blood vessel had temporarily reopened or with rest, the heart muscle could tolerate less blood flow, but when the narrowed artery finally closed, his heart could not pump enough blood. [He may have] needed to sit up because heart was not pumping blood so he developed pulmonary edema," the doctor explained. "Alternatively, he had an arrhythmia in the hospital since closed arteries cause energy imbalance in heart cells so they short-circuit."
On a more personal note, Dr. Oz did take the time to reveal his own connection to Thicke through the years.
"He was a great guy," he said. "Alan had Thanksgiving dinner with us at my wife's family's house in Pennsylvania many years ago. We had a met a few times through mutual friends, and he was filming in Philly and was too far to fly home."
Thicke was 69, and is survived by three sons, Robin, Brennan and Carter, and wife Tanya Callau.
