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:
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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
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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
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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:
Actress Valerie Harper and actor Alan Thicke attend the Kenny Rogers in Concert: 'The Gambler' Tour on September 14, 1979 at the Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City, California.
(Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)
Actor Alan Thicke and son Brennan Thicke attending 'Celebrity Fashion Show Benefiting Windfeather' on June 10, 1984 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
(Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)
Actor Alan Thicke and actress Gina Gallego attending Third Annual American Diabetes Association Waiters Brunch on February 9, 1985 at Baxter's Restaurant in Westwood, California.
(Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)
Actor Alan Thicke attending the premiere party for 'Out of Africa' on December 10, 1985 at the Plitt Theater in Century City, California.
(Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)
GROWING PAINS - 'The Kid' - Airdate: December 16, 1985.
(Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images)
Actor Alan Thicke attending 59th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade on November 25, 1990 in Hollywood, California.
(Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)
Actor Alan Thicke and sons Brennan Thick and Robin Thicke and Actress Joanna Kerns attend the 'Celebration of Tradition' A Gala Event Gathering Warner Bros. Stars on June 2, 1990 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California.
(Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd/WireImage)
Actor Alan Thicke attending 9th Annual MacLaren Children's Center Benefit on March 10, 1990 at Henry Winkler's home in Toluca Lake, California.
(Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)
Actor Alan Thicke attending 'Hollywood Stars Night Baseball Game' on August 22, 1992 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
(Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)
Actor Alan Thicke and date Julie Tovilar attending the world premiere of 'The Bodyguard' on November 23, 1992 at Mann Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California.
(Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)
THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO -- Episode 646
Pictured: Actor Alan Thicke, host Jay Leno during an interview on March 6, 1995.
(Photo by: Margaret Norton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
Alan Thicke drives a ball during the Lexus Challenge held at La Quinta Country Club in La Quinta, California. Mandatory
(Jon Cuban /Allsport)
Actor Alan Thicke attending the premiere of 'G.I. Jane' on August 6, 1997 at Mann Village Theater in Westwood, California.
(Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)
Alan Thicke and Jason Alexander in dress rehearsal of 'Promises, Promises,' a musical at the Freud Playhouse at UCLA. Photo Iris Schneider.
(Photo by Iris Schneider/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Actor Alan Thicke and son Carter Thicke attending the premiere of 'Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle' on June 24, 2000 at Loew's Universal Cinema in Universal City, California.
(Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)
Alan Thicke during 'Me, Myself & Irene' Los Angeles Premiere at Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, California, United States.
(Photo by SGranitz/WireImage)
Actor Alan Thicke skates at the opening of the Universal CityWalk Ice Rink on November 29, 2002 in Universal City , California. The rink will be open to the public through January 5, 2003.
(Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Actor Alan Thicke attends the Los Angeles premiere of 'Pinocchio' on December 22, 2002 in Los Angeles, California. The film opens in theaters nationwide on Wednesday December 25, 2002.
(Photo by Robert Mora/Getty Images)
Actor/producer Alan Thicke and model Tanya Callau pose after being married on May 7, 2005 at The One&Only Pamilla Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
(Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
Alan Thicke, Tanya Callou, Paula Patton and Robin Thicke attends the Opening Night at the 40/40 Club in Las Vegas, NV December 30, 2007.
(Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Actor Alan Thicke poses for photographs with his 2008 Jaguar XJ outside his home in Carpinteria, December 1, 2011.
(Photo by Ann Johansson/Corbis via Getty Images)
'I'm In The Band' on Disney XD.
(Photo by Bruce Birmelin/Disney XD via Getty Images)
Hoda Kotb and Alan Thicke appear on NBC News' 'Today' show
(Photo by Peter Kramer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
Actor Alan Thicke and Pharrell Williams attend the Qream Launch Party on July 14, 2011 in Hollywood, California.
(Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Alan Thicke attends the 10th Annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational Celebrity Dinner in BESO At Crystals at CityCenter on March 31, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(Photo by Chris Weeks/WireImage)
Actor Alan Thicke and recording artist Robin Thicke attend The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! Countdown to Music's Biggest Night at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on December 6, 2013 in Los Angeles, California.
(Photo by Charley Gallay/WireImage)
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Carole Radziwill and Alan Thicke
(Photo by: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
Actors Charlie Sheen and Alan Thicke attend the Joe Carter Classic Charity Golf Tournament after-party at Shangri-La Hotel on June 26, 2014 in Toronto, Canada.
(Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage)
Actor Alan Thicke attends the 2013 Summer TCA Party for the Hallmark Channel's on July 8, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California.
(Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
Alan Thicke attends the Dodgers' Hollywood Stars Night Game at Dodger Stadium on June 6, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
(Photo by Noel Vasquez/GC Images)
Actor Flex Alexander, producer Tony Cornelius, actor Alan Thicke and actor/comedian Cedric the Entertainer attend the second annual Coach Woodson Las Vegas Invitational pairings party at the Lavo Restaurant & Nightclub at The Palazzo Las Vegas on July 12, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(Photo by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for PGD Global)
Alan Thicke arrives for the 'Cool Comedy - Hot Cuisine' benefit for the Scleroderma Research Foundation at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on June 5, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California.
(Photo by Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic)
Actor Alan Thicke and wife Tanya Callau arrive at the premiere of STX Entertainment's 'Bad Moms' at Mann Village Theatre on July 26, 2016 in Westwood, California.
(Photo by Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)
Actor Alan Thicke arrives for the Comedy Central Roast Of Rob Lowe at Sony Studios on August 27, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.
(Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
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"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.
