Bob Saget, Actor-Comedian, Dead at 65

Bob+Saget+at+the+People%E2%80%99s+Choice+Awards+in+L.A.+in+2017.

Jordan Strauss / Invision / Associated Press

Bob Saget at the People’s Choice Awards in L.A. in 2017.

Kerry Breen, Contributing Writer

Robert Lane Saget, popular sitcom father figure “Danny Tanner” of Full House, host of clip show comedy “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” was found dead in his hotel room on January 9 at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes amid his return to stand-up tours. 

Officers on the scene in Orange County, Florida were paged on Sunday evening for a man identified as “unresponsive” in his hotel room. According to a statement released by the County Sheriff’s office, Saget was uncovered with no traces of foul play or drug abuse. On Monday, the day after his body was discovered, an autopsy was performed by Joshua Stephany, the chief medical examiner of Orange and Osceola Counties, who confirmed that drugs were indeed not the cause of death. 

Bob Saget’s death is a tragedy to all who formed an on-screen and off-screen connection with him. In a statement given to People Magazine, Saget’s loved ones convey “He was everything to us and we want you to know how much he loved his fans, performing live and bringing people from all walks of life together with laughter. Though 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.”

Co-star on “Full House,” Candace Cameron Bure, who plays “DJ Tanner” daughter of Danny, tweeted her condolences for the beloved actor: “I am broken. I am gutted. I am in complete and utter shock. I will never have another friend like him. I love you so much, Bobby.”

Robert Lane Saget was born in Philadelphia on May 17, 1956. After graduating from Temple University in 1978, he began working in comedy clubs. Subsequently, he became recognized for profane, foul language stand-up performances, contrary to his crisp image on “Full House” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”

At Temple University, Saget pursued film studies and even constructed a documentary, “Through Adam’s Eyes,” in which he wrote about his nephew that underwent facial surgery. Even then, comedy had always resonated somewhere in the background. 

In 2016, Bob Saget told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he’d won a local radio award when he was 17 by singing a song about enslavement, and while he devoted most of his time producing films at Temple, he’d also go to the University of Pennsylvania to practice improv.

He left the university but remained in Los Angeles, where he pursued stand-up comedy, which led to minor jobs in TV and cinema until achieving fame with “Full House.” He also voiced the narrator on CBS’s “How I Met Your Mother” spanning nine seasons and appeared in select episodes of the sitcom’s “Fuller House” 2016-20 sequel.

According to AP News, eager to rebuild his comedy career, Saget was set to begin his comeback tour in early 2020 until the pandemic forced him to suspend it. He focused his efforts on a podcast called “Bob Saget’s Here For You,” which allowed listeners to react and ask him direct questions.

Unfortunately, Saget was in the midst of his tour at the time of this tragedy. His fans and loved ones around the world are truly heartbroken over this unfortunate loss in the film industry. Additionally, students at Hingham High School including Connor Richardson, a once avid “Full House” viewer, shared his remorse for the death of one of his “all-time favorite TV Dads”: “Bob Saget or ‘Danny Tanner’ was by far one of my favorite characters on the show. I even watched the new Netflix sequel ‘Fuller House’ and I loved watching his old AFV episodes with my family when they were streamed on ABC.” 

Another fan and student from Hingham High School, Junior Lauren Brockwell discloses, “I was so upset when I saw the News Alert come up on my phone. ‘Full House’ was one of my favorite shows to watch as a kid with my sister and I’ll never forget some of ‘Danny Tanner’s famous life lessons he would emphasize on the show,” she continues to acknowledge: “it’s even more upsetting how close this loss was to another great actor, Betty White.”

A private funeral service for friends and family took place on Friday, January 14. 

In another Twitter post from Saget’s former co-star and friend, John Stamos hinted at the approaching memorial sharing, “Today will be the hardest day of my life. God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”