Alan Thicke Funeral: Wife Tanya Callau Speaks Publicly About 'Gut Wrenching Sadness' [VIDEO]
Alan Thicke's wife has spoken publicly for the first time since his sudden death last week.
Tanya Callau Thicke, who had been married to the sitcom legend since 2005, talked about her husband's death last Tuesday in a new statement to People.
"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," she said.
Tanya and the rest of the Thicke family buried Alan earlier this week.
"Through tears and smiles our dearest of family and friends came together at our home to celebrate the life of my sweet and devoted husband Alan Thicke," she continued. "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 time of profound mourning."
Tanya also said that she hopes that donations will be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, "a cause that he cared about deeply."
Alan died of a heart attack while playing hockey with his son, Carter, on Dec. 13. The sitcom star, who played Dr. Jason Seaver in Growing Pains and wrote the theme songs for "Diff'rent Strokes" and "The Facts of Life", was 69.
Alan's ex-wife, Gloria Loring, also spoke about the shocking death in her own statement to Us Weekly.
"It's deep and it's a profoundly sad wound to our family," Loring said. "Anytime you lose one of the major father-mother figures in a family, it's very hard. And Alan was definitely a big presence in our family. If he entered the room, the party started. He just had a great sense of humor and a wonderful energy. We all loved him."
