Bob Saget, Full House Star and Comedian, Dies at 65

April 2024 · 6 minute read

Bob Saget, a stand-up comedian and actor beloved for his role as Danny Tanner on the 1990s sitcom “Full House,” died Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Orlando, Fla., police confirmed to Variety. He was 65.

Shortly after 4 p.m., police officers responded to a man-down call at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes hotel and discovered Saget unresponsive in a hotel room, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office told Variety. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The sheriff’s office did not have any information on a cause of death, and detectives did not find any signs of foul play or drug use in the case. The Medical Examiner’s Office will determine a cause and manner of death at a later date.

Read more:  “Full House” stars John Stamos, Candace Cameron Bure and more pay tribute to Bob Saget.

Saget had recently kicked off a nationwide stand-up tour in September that was set to run through June. According to his most recent post on Twitter, Saget had performed Saturday evening at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in Jacksonville, Fla.

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“My whole heart. Bob was my absolute everything. I am so completely shattered and in disbelief,” said his wife, Kelly Rizzo Saget, in a statement. “I am so deeply touched by the outpouring of love and tribute from our friends, family, his fans and his peers. When the time is right and when this news is not as raw, I look forward to sharing more of Bob with the world. Sharing how much he meant to me, all of those around him, and how much all of his fans and friends meant to him as well. Thank you for respecting my privacy at this time.”

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In 1987, Saget was cast as patriarch Danny Tanner on ABC’s “Full House,” in which he played the father of D.J. (Candace Cameron), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and Michelle Tanner (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen). In the show, he raises his daughters as a single dad after the death of his wife, and he is joined by his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos) and his best friend Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier) to run their adorably dysfunctional sitcom family. The show ran for eight seasons and 192 episodes from 1987 to 1994, reaching more than 17 million viewers during its peak in Season 5. From Season 3 onward, “Full House” was in the Nielsen Top 30 TV shows.

Related: Watch Bob Saget’s Funniest Moments, From ‘Full House’ to Dirty Jokes

Netflix launched a sequel series, titled “Fuller House,” which ran for five season and 75 episodes from 2016 to 2020. Saget reprised his role on the show in 10 episodes of the follow-up, including the series premiere and finale. The show followed D.J. as she raised her own children, and most of the original cast members, excluding the Olsens, appeared on the show.

From 1989 to 1997, Saget hosted “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” showcasing hilarious homemade videos of pranks, pratfalls and cute pets. Saget was the inaugural host of the show as it started out as an hourlong special, and he kept the emcee duties for eight seasons. After he departed, the show was co-hosted by John Fugelsang and Daisy Fuentes for two seasons. Tom Bergeron took over in 2001 for a 14-year run, followed by Alfonso Ribeiro starting in 2015.

Besides “Full House” and “AFHV,” Saget was also known for narrating CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother,” in which he voiced the future Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) telling his children the story of how he met his wife. The show ran for nine seasons from 2005 to 2014, and Hulu is set to release a follow-up, titled “How I Met Your Father” starring Hilary Duff, on Jan. 18.

He directed the 1998 film “Dirty Work,” starring Norm Macdonald and Artie Lang. It was largely panned by critics and a flop at the box office but has since reached cult status among fans. In the comedy documentary “The Aristocrats,” his telling of one of comedy’s notorious jokes was noted for its raunchiness.

He also helmed the parody film “Farce of the Penguins,” played a fictionalized version of himself in HBO’s “Entourage,” hosted the game shows “1 vs. 100” and “Nashville Squares” and appeared on the mystery singing competition “The Masked Singer” in 2020.

Known for his dark, sarcastic humor, Saget’s 2014 “That’s What I’m Talkin’ About,” was nominated for comedy album at the Grammys. He dedicated his 2007 HBO comedy special, “That Ain’t Right,” to his father, Ben Saget, who had died months earlier due to complications from congestive heart failure.

Saget was also a board member of the Scleroderma Research Foundation and raised money to help fight the autoimmune disease. His sister, Gay Saget, was diagnosed with scleroderma and died in 1993.

He is survived by his wife, Kelly Rizzo, and children Aubrey, Jennifer Belle and Lara Melanie Saget.

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