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Jeremy Miller is sharing his gratitude to late television icon Alan Thicke<\/a>, who played his father on \u201cGrowing Pains,\u201d for providing emotional and professional support during a rocky time in his life. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Miller, best known for his portrayal of Ben Seaver on \u201cGrowing Pains<\/a>,\u201d got candid about his experiences with addiction in a video interview with Youngstown Studio<\/a> last week. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n During a particularly emotional point in the chat, Miller looked back on his relationship with Thicke fondly, calling him one of the \u201cmost caring, generous, loving men you could ever know.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The former child actor, who is also a trained chef, went on to recall how Thicke and their \u201cGrowing Pains\u201d co-star, Kirk Cameron<\/a>, reached out to him when he was \u201con the brink of homelessness.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAfter 2008, when the big economic crash happened, my catering company went under, and I was really struggling \u2015 I mean, really<\/em> struggling,\u201d he recalled, later adding: \u201cAlan set up interviews with all of his restaurateur friends in Santa Barbara and a few other places and got me connected to different places where I could utilize my chef skills and earn some money to help take care of my family.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n He went on to note: \u201cAll it took was a phone call to say, \u2018Hey, Al, I\u2019m really struggling. Do you know anybody who might\u2014\u2019 and that\u2019s all I had to say. He was on the phone for the next two days, making connections and doing everything he could to try and help me. That was just the kind of guy he was.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Thicke died in 2016<\/a> of a heart attack at age 69. While \u201cGrowing Pains\u201d wrapped its seven-season run in 1992, the actor had continued to appear in films and on TV regularly in the years preceding his death, with roles on \u201cThis is Us<\/a>\u201d and \u201cFuller House<\/a>.\u201d His last credited film role was in 2017\u2019s \u201cLove\u2019s Last Resort<\/a>,\u201d which was released posthumously. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n In his Youngstown Studio chat, Miller acknowledged having been in \u201cshock\u201d upon learning of Thicke\u2019s death, noting: \u201cWe really thought he was gonna be the next Dick Clark, you know? 102 and still going.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cHe would call just to check up on me, make sure everything\u2019s going good,\u201d he said. \u201cBut he really did fill that father role. He was my other dad.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n 20 Years Of<\/span>Free<\/span>Journalism<\/span><\/p>\n Your Support Fuels Our Mission<\/p>\n Your Support Fuels Our Mission<\/p>\n