Prior to his death, Thicke had cemented himself as one of the most iconic figures in sitcom history. In addition to "Growing Pains," Thicke appeared on "Married... with Children," "My Wife and Kids," "Joey," "How I Met Your Mother," and "Fuller House." He also played himself on the first episode of "This Is Us."
Not only was he an actor, he also was a successful theme song composer. He wrote the theme songs for "Diff'rent Strokes," "The Facts of Life," and "Wheel of Fortune," among others.
Thicke also co-created and headlined in the mockumentary reality TV series "Unusually Thicke" from 2014 to 2015.
His son is Robin Thicke, most notably the singer of "Blurred Lines" and a panelist on "The Masked Singer."