Alan Thicke

Alan Thicke died the other day. Playing hockey. The born-in-Canada actor was one of my early celebrity interviews in the mid-80s. (I still wish I’d taken Bryan Adams up on his backstage pass offer.) Alan was in Saskatoon for Telemiracle and we did a little interview. Then he literally tapped me on the shoulder for a favour; I was also interviewing Rolf Harris at the time. Alan’s photographer was late, missed his flight from LA as I recall, and Alan noted that I was dragging my camera with me. Would I mind walking with him to take pictures while he met a throng of fans – mostly screeching teenage girls? I did, and we spent the next hour or so together. Long before the days of digital and cell phones, he was patient, gracious, funny and affable with anyone who wanted photos and autographs. I shot a roll (yes, it was a roll then 🙂 He asked if I could get it developed (he didn’t want to risk losing the film), and send him the photos. A couple of months later, I got an official looking envelope from Alan Thicke Productions in Hollywood, reimbursement for the photo shoot. It was a cheque for $3.45 to cover the roll of the film. I should have kept the cheque as a souvenir. I’m pretty sure an assistant sent the cheque, and I didn’t mind because I remember Alan as a very nice guy, very Canadian. And he had great hair!