‘Full House’ Cast Including Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen, Lori Loughlin, Jodie Sweetin & Series Creator Pay Tribute To Bob Saget: “One Of The Best”
UPDATED with additional cast: Full House cast members are remembering Bob Saget, their co-star and patriarch of the Tanner family, who has died at age 65.
“Bob was the most loving, compassionate and generous man,” Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who played Michelle Tanner, the youngest member of the Tanner family, said in a statement released to Today. “We are deeply saddened that he is no longer with us but know that he will continue to be by our side to guide us as gracefully as he always has. We are thinking of his daughters, wife and family and are sending our condolences.”
Lori Loughlin, who played Becky on the show, said she is “devastated” over Saget’s passing. “Words cannot begin to express how devastated I am,” Loughlin said in a statement to Deadline’s sister pub TVLine. “Bob was more than my friend; he was my family. I will miss his kind heart and quick wit. Thank you for a lifetime of wonderful memories and laughter. I love you, Bobby.”
Jodi Sweetin, who portrayed Danny Tanner’s daughter Stephanie, said Saget “was the best TV dad ever.”
“There aren’t enough words to express what I’m feeling today,” Sweetin wrote on Instagram. “Nor are they big enough to capture even a slice of who he was. One thing I do know is that we never missed a chance to tell each other, ‘I love you.’ Every time we talked, there were at least three or four exchanged at the end of a conversation, whether it was text, phone call or in person. And he usually had to have the last word, ‘I love you more.’”
Series creator Jeff Franklin also remembered Saget on Instagram. “I wrote the role of Danny Tanner for my friend Bob Saget,” Franklin said. “The character was kind, genuine, neurotic, a bit nerdy, a hugger with a heart of gold, and endearingly funny. That was Bob. And the X-rated sense of humor that was left out of Full House. But Bob’s charm and love-ability was the reason people embraced Danny Tanner. It was my joyful honor to be a brother of Bob’s for 42 years. Comedy icon and exceptional human being. Your spirit and your work will live on. Love you Bob.”
Scott Weinger, who played Steve Hale, DJ’s boyfriend, wrote on Twitter, “Bob Saget was more than a friend. He was a big brother to me. Nobody ever made me laugh harder, the kind of laughter where your ribs are sore the next day. He was also a wonderful human being who never missed a chance to say ‘I love you’ to the people he cared about.”
Bob Saget was more than a friend. He was a big brother to me. Nobody ever made me laugh harder, the kind of laughter where your ribs are sore the next day. He was also a wonderful human being who never missed a chance to say "I love you" to the people he cared about. 💔
— Scott Weinger (@ScottWeinger) January 10, 2022
Candace Cameron Bure wrote on Twitter to express her heartbreak after learning of the sudden death of her co-star.
“I don’t know what to say,” Bure wrote. “I have no words. Bob was one of the best human beings I’ve ever known in my life. I loved him so much.”
I don’t know what to say 💔. I have no words. Bob was one of the best humans beings I’ve ever known in my life. I loved him so much.
— Candace Cameron Bure (@candacecbure) January 10, 2022
In the original 1987-1995 series, Bure played Donna Jo “DJ” Tanner, the oldest daughter of Danny Turner (Saget). Bure reprised her role in Fuller House, Netflix’s sequel to Full House, when she becomes a recently widowed mother of three.
Dave Coulier, who played Joey Gladstone on Full House, also took to Twitter to honor Saget’s life, writing, “My heart is broken. I love you, Bob. Your forever brother, Dave.”
My heart is broken. I love you, Bob. Your forever brother, Dave.
— Dave Coulier (@DaveCoulier) January 10, 2022
Coulier’s Joey was the childhood best friend of Saget’s Danny Tanner who moves in with him shortly after the latter’s wife passes to help raise Tanner’s three young daughters. Joey worked as a stand-up comic whose acts frequently featured vocal imitations of cartoon characters.
Bure and Coulier reprised their roles in the Netflix’s Full House sequel Fuller House, which ran for five seasons from 2016-2020.
John Stamos, who starred as Jesse Katsopolis, Danny Tanner’s brother-in-law, wrote on Twitter of the passing of his close friend and former co-star, “I am gutted. I am in complete and utter shock. I will never ever have another friend like him. I love you so much, Bobby.”
World Mourns Death Of Comedy Icon Bob Saget: “Wasn’t A Kinder Person In Hollywood”
Andrea Barber, who played Kimmy Gibbler, posted a photo on Instagram of herself and Saget embraced in a hug from an episode of sequel Fuller House. “This one hurts,” Barber wrote in the caption, followed by a broken heart emoji. “He had the biggest heart of anyone in Hollywood. He gave the biggest hugs. I am gutted that I will never be able to hug him again. Bob ended every text, every interaction with “Love you.” Didn’t matter how long or short we’d been apart. He loved so deeply and so fiercely. And he never hesitated to tell you just how much you meant to him. This is the greatest lesson I learned from Bob Saget – don’t hesitate to tell people you love them. I feel at peace knowing that Bob knew exactly how much I adore him.”
Stamos on Monday posted a statement on behalf of the entire Full House cast.
“Thirty-five years ago, we came together as a TV family, but we became a real family. And now we grieve as a family,” the statement read. “Bob made us laugh until we cried. Now our tears flow in sadness, but also with gratitude for all the beautiful memories of our sweet, kind, hilarious, cherished Bob. He was a brother to us guys, a father to us girls and a friend to all of us. Bob, we love you dearly. We ask in Bob’s honor, hug the people you love. No one gave better hugs than Bob.”
Saget died Sunday morning after being found unresponsive by Orange County police in a hotel room in the Orlando Ritz-Carlton in Florida. The stand-up comic and former television host was on the initial leg of his “I Don’t Do Negative” comedy tour which was to run until June 2022.
Saget performed at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in Palm Valley, Florida, Saturday night, and even tweeted out a message of appreciation toward his fans.