Lin-Manuel Miranda and TV stars remember Alan Thicke's lesser-known songwriting career
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Facts of Life star Mindy Cohn are paying tribute to Alan Thicke's lesser-known songwriting career.
Thicke, who passed away from a heart attack on Tuesday, was a celebrated sitcom star, but the 69-year-old actor also made a living as a talented composer penning theme songs for The Facts of Life, Diff'rent Strokes, Wheel of Fortune, and more classic shows.
"I'll miss a lot about @Alan_Thicke, but his songwriting particularly defined my childhood," Miranda tweeted Tuesday, with a link to a fan-edited video featuring The Facts of Life theme song.
I'll miss a lot about @Alan_Thicke, but his songwriting particularly defined my childhood: https://t.co/QlwX7cD1Qfhttps://t.co/G463Xiz0Hh
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) December 14, 2016
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See how more stars reacted to Alan Thicke's death:
Like the Hamilton creator, Cohn spotlighted Thicke's work on The Facts of Life in a heartwarming Twitter post.
"RIP to the man who wrote #thefactsoflife theme song, my co-host of the radio show TalkZone & a true gentleman of our business #AlanThicke," she wrote.
RIP to the man who wrote #thefactsoflife theme song, my co-host of the radio show TalkZone & a true gentleman of our business #AlanThicke
— Mindy Cohn (@MindyCohn) December 14, 2016
WATCH: Alan Thicke, King of the Cameo -- See His Most Memorable Guest Appearances
Buffy star Gellar also noted Thicke's songwriting credits, which she called her "childhood jams."
"I grew up loving #AlanThicke, and #factsoflife and #differentstrokes [sic] theme songs were my childhood jams #RIPAlanThicke," Gellar tweeted.
#jasonseaver I grew up loving #AlanThicke, and #factsoflife and #differentstrokes theme songs were my childhood jams #RIPAlanThicke
— Sarah Michelle (@SarahMGellar) December 14, 2016
MORE: Candace Cameron Bure on Alan Thicke's Death: 'He Just Seemed So Healthy, So Young'
While Thicke's sudden death left fans, friends and his Growing Pains co-stars in shock, the Canadian-born TV legend's ex-wife remains heartbroken by the devastating loss.
See photos of Alan Thicke through the years:
"He loved his family so much," Gloria Loring, who co-wrote many of Thicke's most famous TV jingles, told ET on Wednesday. "He was the centerpiece to our family and I can't imagine going forward. We always had Thanksgiving and Christmas with the big, extended family, and I just can't imagine how it's going to be without him."
See more from Loring's ET interview in the video below.
