Celebrity Celebrity Deaths Celebrity Death Tributes Candace Cameron Bure on Losing 'Kind, Gracious and Good-Hearted' Alan Thicke Candace Cameron Bure joined her brother Kirk Cameron in paying tribute to late Growing Pains star Alan Thicke By Lindsay Kimble Lindsay Kimble Lindsay Kimble is the Executive Editor, News at PEOPLE. She have been working at PEOPLE for seven years. Her work has previously appeared in POPSUGAR, Us Weekly and Entertainment Weekly. People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 15, 2016 01:30PM EST Candace Cameron Bure is still grappling with Alan Thicke‘s sudden death earlier this week, calling the actor one of her “all-time favorite TV dads” in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE. “You couldn’t help but smile whenever Alan entered the room,” Bure says. “He was kind, gracious, good-hearted and always ready with a humorous story or self-deprecating joke.” Thicke suffered a heart attack while playing hockey with his son Carter at Pickwick Gardens skating rink in Burbank, California, on Tuesday, his older son, singer Robin Thicke, confirmed. He was 69. He most recently appeared with Bure in an episode of her series Fuller House‘s second season, which was just released on Netflix last week. Thicke also portrayed Bure’s brother Kirk Cameron‘s dad on the 1985-1992 sitcom Growing Pains. “Alan played my brother’s TV dad for 7 years, played my TV dad in a Christmas movie and then played my date on Fuller House,” Bure, 40, says. “We couldn’t help but laugh on set at the humor in that alone. Alan’s last text to me was, ‘You’re still one of my all time favorite Cameron children. Hugs… A.T.’ I would always tease him about who he liked working with more.” She adds, “Alan will still be one of my all-time favorite TV dads. Forever.” Shortly after news of Thicke’s death broke, Bure shared a photo of herself with the actor from his Fuller House appearance. “I’m sad beyond words that Alan Thicke has passed away,” she wrote. “I’ve known you since I was 8 years old and so glad I had the pleasure of working with you again so recently on Fuller House. You were a part of my family and hockey family. You will be greatly missed. My heart hurts.” Bure’s brother has also paid tribute to Thicke, telling Today of their time on Growing Pains, “We were a family. We laughed and cried together, shared birthday celebrations, Christmas parties, holidays and worked together with the crew as a team to make a really special TV show. We weren’t just a TV family. In many ways, we were a real family.” Cameron added, “In an ever-changing world, my friendship with Alan was always a constant.”