Leonardo DiCaprio on Alan Thicke: 'No one was cooler'

WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) — Leonardo DiCaprio said Wednesday that he will be “forever grateful” for the opportunity to work with Alan Thicke on “Growing Pains.”

Thicke, who played father Jason Seaver on the long-running 1980s sitcom, died Tuesday at 69. Years before “Titanic” vaulted him to film stardom, a young DiCaprio appeared in the final season of the show as a homeless teen taken in by the family.

In a Facebook post, DiCaprio offered his thoughts and prayers for Thicke’s family and thanked the Canadian actor and prolific theme song composer for teaching him about humility and gratitude.

“Alan was a devoted father, husband, friend and role model. He knew how to harness the power of the entertainment industry to be a positive influence in so many lives - including mine,” he wrote.

Other members of Thicke’s television family and his real family have penned public tributes since his death, as well.

“I have never known a more kind, loving, hairy, and generous person in my life and I am forever grateful for the light that this man brought to my life and so many others,” son Carter Thicke wrote on Instagram.

On Facebook, DiCaprio said he misses Thicke already.

“I've seen him a number of times over the years and when Alan Thicke walked in the room, quite frankly, no one was cooler,” he wrote.