LOS ANGELES (AP) – Bob Saget, the actor and comedian best known for his role as beloved single dad Danny Tanner on the sitcom “Full House” and as the host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” comedian, died while in a stand-up. excursion. He was 65 years old.
Orange County, Florida, deputies were called Sunday by an “unconscious man” in a hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando and found Saget dead, according to a sheriff’s statement on Twitter. Detectives “found no signs of foul play or drug use in this case.”
Saget was in Florida as part of his “I Don’t Do Negative Comedy Tour”. After warm audience receptions at his concerts on Friday in Orlando and Saturday in the tourist area of Ponte Vedra Beach, he celebrated online.
“I’m back in comedy like I was 26 years old. I think I’m finding my new voice and I’m loving every moment,” he posted on Instagram Saturday.
Fellow comedians and friends praised Saget not just for his wit, but for his kindness.
“I’m broken. I’m gutted. I’m in complete and utter shock. I’ll never have another friend like him again,” wrote John Stamos, who co-starred with Saget on “Full House.” “I love you so much Bobby.”
“I have no words. Bob was one of the best human beings I have ever met. I loved him so much,” said Candace Cameron Bure, who played Saget’s daughter on “Full House.”
“In an often ruthless business, historically he was not only hilarious but more importantly one of the kindest human beings I have ever met in my career,” wrote actor Richard Lewis on Twitter.
In a statement Sunday, members of Saget’s family said they are “devastated to confirm that our beloved Bob passed away today … Although we ask for privacy at this time, we invite you to join us in remembering the love and laughter that Bob brought “. to the world.”
Saget, the stand-up, showed his other side with what became a much talked about cameo in the 2005 documentary “The Aristocrats”, in which 100 comics dealt with the dirtiest joke in the world, which revealed his notoriously disgusting sense of humor.
Sassy comedy was not a part of their long-running television shows. He hosted the family show “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and played the widower and spotlessly clean father to three girls on “Full House,” the ABC sitcom that also brought twins Olsen Mary-Kate and Ashley to fame when it debuted in 1987.
“Bob was the most loving, compassionate and generous man. We are deeply saddened that he is no longer with us, but we know that he will continue to stand by us to guide us with as much grace as he always has, “the Olsens said in a joint statement.
The popularity of the show did not deter critics, with some calling it cheesy and others calling it unreal. Saget, as gracious and humorous in an interview as he is on television screens, took it easy.
“’Full House’ was a loving kind of show but obviously over the top. He had his reality enhanced, a brilliant Willy Wonka quality, ”he told The Associated Press in an interview in 2001.
That year, Saget took another step by playing a widowed father with charming children in the short-lived sitcom “Raising Dad.”
He said he found himself repeatedly answering questions about his habit of playing sitcom widowers, and he had a ready response: “(Kevin) Costner makes three, four baseball movies and that’s fine. That is my foundation. “
Saget was born in Philadelphia on May 17, 1956, the son of Benjamin, a supermarket executive, and Rosalyn, who worked in hospital administration. He graduated from Temple University and briefly enrolled at the University of Southern California to study film.
He dropped out of college but stayed in Los Angeles and switched to stand-up comedy, which led to small roles in television and film before finding success with “Full House.” He also appeared in some episodes of the 2016-20 “Fuller House” sequel to the comedy and was heard as the narrator of “How I Met Your Mother,” which aired for nine seasons on CBS.
“Bob Saget was the oldest and wisest ‘me’ for nine years on How I Met Your Mother,” tweeted cast member Josh Radnor. “He was the kindest, most charming, fun and supportive man. The easiest person to surround. A mensch between mensches “.
In guest appearances on the Hollywood-set dark comedy “Entourage,” Saget played a deformed character named Bob Saget who spoke poorly but, unlike the man himself, was a misogynist and worse.
In early 2020, Saget was preparing for the start of his comedy tour when the pandemic put him on hold. He turned his energies into a podcast, “Bob Saget’s Here For You,” which gave fans an open mic to comment and ask questions.
Occasionally he focused on directing over the years, including on HBO’s “The Mind of the Married Man” and the Norm Macdonald film “Dirty Work,” and he appeared on Broadway in “Hand to God” and in ” The Drowsy Chaperone “.
He received accolades as producer and director of the 1996 television movie “For Hope,” loosely based on his late sister Gay’s battle with scleroderma, a tissue disease, and called for increased federal support for research funding. .
He recalled his sister in a January 2020 post, noting that she died when she was 47 and would have been 73 that month.
Saget had daughters Aubrey, Lara and Jennifer with his first wife Sherri Kramer before divorcing in 1997. He married Kelly Rizzo in 2018.
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AP writers Lindsey Bahr and Beth Harris contributed to this report.
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