Alan Thicke was remembered at a memorial service on Sunday afternoon (18.12.16).
The late actor – who tragically passed away last week after suffering a heart attack – was honoured by his ‘Growing Pains’ co-star Leonardo DiCaprio as well as friends Kris Jenner and Bob Saget at the event, which was attended by 300 guests who wanted to bid their own personal farewell to Alan.
An attendee told Us Weekly magazine: "The mood was very upbeat, it was more like a fun Vanity Fair Oscars party than a memorial.
"All of the speeches were fun and full of life. It was just the way Alan would have wanted it, more of a celebration of his life. Everyone was expressing how much they love him. It was truly amazing and straight out of a scene from a Hollywood movie."
The memorial was held in the grounds of Alan and his wife Tanya Callau’s home in Carpinteria, California and each guest – who were treated to a sit down meal – had a different quote from Alan printed on their name cards in a tribute to the actor’s way with words. DJ Kiss was also on hand to provide the entertainment – a catalogue of music from Alan’s favourite singers including Bruce Springsteen and a number of classic 1970 rock songs.
Some of the guests also made speeches. Bob talked about Alan being a ladies man whilst Bill Maher stepped on stage to reveal his ‘Thicke of the Night’ t-shirt which Alan had gifted to him a number of years ago. And Leonardo also spoke to the guests about how Alan was like an adoptive father to him and the rest of the ‘Growing Pains’ cast.
The event was hosted by Alan’s son Robin who kept guests’ spirits up throughout the night with impressions of his late father.
Meanwhile, Alan’s ex-wife Gloria Loring previously spoke of how hard it was losing the actor as she never had a chance to say goodbye.
She said: "I think it’s so hard when someone goes all of a sudden. No preparation, no time to say anything that needs to be said or smooth something over. It’s really hard. But I think Alan was very happy with his life. He was having fun."
Memorial held for Alan Thicke
