Bob Saget, comedian and ‘Full House’ star, dead at 65

Bob Saget, the comedian and actor arguably known best by audiences as wholesome patriarch Danny Tanner on the sitcom “Full House,” died last week at the age of 65. According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Saget was found dead in a hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes on Sunday. Family members were unable to reach him and contacted the hotel for a welfare check. He was found unresponsive in his room by hotel staff at around 4 p.m.

The Sheriff’s statement read, “The man was identified as Robert Saget & pronounced deceased on scene. Detectives found no signs of foul play or drug use in this case.” The cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner, the Sheriff’s office added. Foul play and drug use were ruled out by the sheriff and the medical examiner.

Saget was in the midst of a tour at the time of his death that was set to take him to locations in New York, Canada, and several other locations in the coming months. In Florida as part of his comedy tour, Saget performed the night before at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. After that show, he tweeted, “Loved tonight’s show @PV_ConcertHall in Jacksonville. Appreciative audience. Thanks again to @RealTimWilkins for opening. I had no idea I did a 2 hr set tonight. I’m happily addicted again to this s—t.”

Saget became known to audiences on family-friendly programming having starred as the widowed father of three girls on ABC’s “Full House” and then as host of the network’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos” clip show.

The sitcom Full House, which starred Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, and twins Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen in one role, ran for eight seasons. Netflix picked up a spin-off in 2016, which ran for five seasons. Concluding in 2020, “Fuller House,” starred Bure and featured frequent appearances from original stars, including Saget, Dave Coulier, and John Stamos. The nostalgia around the show has allowed it to live on in syndication. 

His “Full House” co-star Stamos expressed his grief over the loss of his friend and former colleague on Sunday. “I am broken. I am gutted,” Stamos wrote on Twitter. “I am in complete and utter shock. I will never ever have another friend like him. I love you so much Bobby.”

 Following his first round of sitcom fame, Saget worked steadily in film and television roles but became known to a new generation of sitcom fans on CBS’s “How I Met Your Mother,” acting as narrator and the voice of future Ted Mosby. That show ran until 2014.

In addition to his TV persona, Saget was known on the stage and among his friends for his adult-oriented stand-up comedy. He remained a fixture in stand-up comedy, releasing multiple specials over the years and taking his show on the road. His 2014 album That’s What I’m Talkin’ About was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.

Saget’s reputation for reveling in a much edgier brand of comedy could be seen in movies like “The Aristocrats” — exploring the competition among comics to tell the filthiest version of the same joke — and his guest stint on HBO’s “Entourage” as a version of himself.

According to his website, Saget often hosted comedy events to raise money for the Scleroderma Research Foundation, for which he served on the board of directors. He lost his sister to the chronic disease in 1994, his website said.

In 2020, Saget launched a podcast, titled “Bob Saget’s Here For You,” an interview show where he welcomed guests like Tiffany Haddish, Jason Sudeikis, Whoopi Goldberg, and Norman Lear. Lear was one of the many who paid tribute to Saget on Sunday. “Bob Saget was as lovely a human as he was funny,” Lear wrote on Twitter. “And to my mind, he was hilarious. We were close friends and I could not have loved him more.”

Comedian Gilbert Gottfried described his “shock” over the news, writing on Twitter: “I just spoke with Bob a few days ago. We stayed on the phone as usual making each other laugh. RIP to friend, comedian & fellow Aristocrat Bob Saget.”

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