The world is without one bright smile today following the death of actor Alan Thicke.
The 69-year-old passed away on Tuesday afternoon, suffering from a heart attack while playing hockey at the Pickwick Gardens ice rink in Burbank, Calif., with his son, Carter Thicke. He was transported to the nearby Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center around noon and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
E! News has spoken to an insider who was at the ice rink with Alan just hours before his tragic passing.
"He was in great spirits. His son Carter was skating with us as well," the source shared. "He was in a very happy mood [Tuesday] morning while they were dressing together."
The insider recalled exactly what happened.
"Alan had taken a few shifts and seemed to be fine. Then during a shift, he seemed to falter, and skated to the bench," the source explained. "He was sitting on the bench, hunched over, then started experiencing pain. He laid down and started moaning loudly, holding his head. We called 911 and the paramedics came within two to three minutes. He was conscious and had stopped moaning by the time they took him out and to the hospital."
In fact, the insider says the paramedics seemed calm. "They were not frantic in any way, and we got the impression that they had stabilized him and he'd be OK."
Our source confirmed just why the world will be a little less bright without him, revealing, "Alan always had a smile and a kind word. He loved hockey and especially loved playing with Carter."
Carter stayed by his father's side and took to Twitter late Tuesday evening to share a note about the loss: "Today I lost my best friend and my idol, and the world lost one of it's finest. You are a legend and I love you Pops. Until next time."
Robin Thicke also spoke to The Los Angeles Times, saying Alan was "the greatest man I ever met" and "always a gentleman." Though he is devastated, he noted, "The good thing was that he was beloved and he had closure. I saw him a few days ago and told him how much I loved and respected him."
Alan was married to Tanya Callau at the time of his passing. He is survived by her and his three children, Robin, Carter and Brennan Thicke.