Celebrity Celebrity Deaths Celebrity Death News Alan Thicke's Cause of Death Has Been Confirmed The actor died of a "ruptured aorta" and a "standard type A aortic dissection," according to his official death certificate By Christina Dugan Ramirez Christina Dugan Ramirez Christina Dugan Ramirez is a former writer and reporter at PEOPLE. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 22, 2016 08:28AM EST Alan Thicke‘s cause of death has been confirmed. The iconic actor died of a “ruptured aorta” and a “standard type A aortic dissection,” according to Thicke’s official death certificate obtained by PEOPLE. The document states that Thicke died mere minutes after his aorta ruptured. Last week, the Canadian native complained of chest pains while playing hockey with his youngest son, Carter, at Pickwick Gardens skating rink in Burbank, California. Shortly after being taken to the hospital, Thicke had died. He was 69 years old. Thicke, largely known for his years on the hit sitcom Growing Pains, as well as his family, has been getting an overwhelmingly amount of love and support from stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Candace Cameron Bure, Leah Remini and more. On Sunday, Thicke’s family – including his three sons Brennan, 41, Robin, 39, and Carter, 19 – gathered with family and friends to pay tribute to star. Thicke’s daughter-in-law Dolly – who is married to Brennan, took to Facebook to describe the scene at the memorial. Attendees included the Growing Pains cast, Bob Saget, Bill Maher, Alex Trebek and more. “Tonight’s memorial for Alan was just about perfect,” Dolly wrote on Sunday. “So much family and so many historic friends came out to remember our beloved father-figure.” She added: “We heard from our own Robin Thicke who brought up all dear dad’s best friends, Bob Saget, Bill Maher, Alex Trebec who I had no idea had such old deep ties to our family, the entire cast of Growing Pains including Leo and Kirk Cameron who I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time, along with his wife who became an instant friend.” On Tuesday, Thicke’s wife, Callau Thicke, broke her silence in a statement to PEOPLE, stressing her and her family’s need for privacy at this time. “It is with gut wrenching sadness and unbelievable grief that I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the outpouring of love and support during this unimaginable time,” Thicke, 41, said in her statement. “Through tears and smiles our dearest of family and friends came together at our home to celebrate the life of my sweet and devoted husband Alan Thicke.” She concluded: “Yesterday, along with my step sons and our combined extended family, we laid my beloved husband, soul mate and the patriarch of our family to rest. We ask that you respect our privacy during this time of profound mourning.”