Fans, stars, peers mourn Dick Van Patten
Dick Van Patten came from a golden era of American television, so it was baby-boomer stars and fans who reacted with special sorrow at the news of his death on Tuesday.
"He taught me so much," tweeted Broadway great Betty Buckley, who played his wife, Abby Bradford, on fondly remembered Eight is Enough.
She went on to win a Tony singing Memories as Grizabella the Glamour Cat in the smash Broadway musical Cats.
In a statement, she said she was "deeply saddened" by his death. She said she last saw him in January.
On Eight is Enough, she said, he was "our rock, our leader, our role model. He was the consummate professional, a wonderful actor and master of comedy. Every day on set he was a happy, jovial person, always generous and ready to play, tease and always keep us all laughing."
His TV kids, such as Willie Aames, also mourned.
And there was the now-retired comedian Ruth Buzzi from Laugh-In, who created the little-old-lady character with the hairnet and a big bag she was forever pummeling people with.
Buzzi paid tribute to Van Patten, who was 86 when he died of complications from diabetes in a Santa Monica hospital.
Other TV comics and film actors said goodbye.
Besides his long film and TV career, Van Patten also was known as an animal lover, who co-founded a natural pet-food company, Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods, in 1989.
The TV industry acknowledged Van Patten's influence.
Others on Twitter honored Van Patten for his sunny style and his depiction of the nicest TV dad ever.