The comedy world has lost a legend: Bob Saget has died. He was 65 years old.
The star, best known for his role of Danny Tanner on the '80s and '90s sitcom Full House and its recent Netflix sequel Fuller House, was found dead inside a room at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Orlando, Fla. on Sunday, Jan. 9. The cause of his death was not made public.
"On 1/9/2022, just after 4 p.m., deputies responded to the 4000 block of Central Florida Parkway (Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes) in response to a man down call," the Orange County Sheriff's Office said in a statement to E! News. "On arrival, they located a man who was unresponsive in a hotel room. The man, identified as Robert Lane Saget, was pronounced deceased on scene. We have no information on cause of death, and detectives have found no signs of foul play or drug use in this case."
The statement continued, "This is all the information we have for release at this time and we do not anticipate further updates. The Medical Examiner's Office will ultimately determine cause and manner of death."
Saget was on a standup comedy tour at the time of his death. He last performed onstage on Saturday, Jan. 8, at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., near Jacksonville. That night, he posted what would become his final Instagram post.
"Okay, I loved tonight's show @pontevedra_concerthall in Jacksonville," he wrote, alongside a selfie. "Really nice audience. Lots of positivity. Happened last night in Orlando last night at the Hard Rock Live too. Very appreciative and fun audiences. Thanks again to @comediantimwilkins for opening. I had no idea I did a two hour set tonight. I'm back in comedy like I was when I was 26. I guess I'm finding my new voice and loving every moment of it."
He continued, "A'ight, see you in two weeks Jan. 28 & 29 @pbimprov with my brother @therealmikeyoung. And check BobSaget.com for my dates in 2022.Goin' everywhere until I get the special shot. And then probably keep going cause I'm addicted to this s--t. Peace out. [peace sign emoji]."
Saget is survived by his wife of three years, Kelly Rizzo, and his daughters, Lara, Aubrey and Jennifer. Their mother is his ex-wife Sherri Kramer.
"We are devastated to confirm that our beloved Bob passed away today," Saget's family said in a statement to E! News. "He was everything to us and we want you to know how much he loved his fans, performing live and bringing people from all walks of life together with laughter. Though we ask for privacy at this time, we invite you to join us in remembering the love and laughter that Bob brought to the world."
Saget, a native of Philadelphia, graduated Temple University's film school in 1978. made his TV comedy debut on the game show Make Me Laugh a year later. His breakout acting role came in 1987, with the debut of Full House. His role as a single father of three daughters earned him the nickname of "America's Dad"—or at least one of them. In addition to his role of Danny Tanner, Saget is also best known for hosting America's Funniest Home Videos from 1989 to1997.
After Full House ended in 1985, he continued his acting career, with small parts on TV shows and in the 1998 movie Half Baked, as well as a main role on the short-lived early '00 series Raising Dad.
In the late '00s, he had a recurring role as a fictional version of himself on HBO's Entourage and also portrayed the narrator on the sitcom How I Met Your Mother. In 2016, he and most of the cast of Full House reprised their roles in Netflix's sequel series Fuller House, which ended its run in 2020. His last onscreen acting role was in the 2021 independent movie Killing Daniel.
Since 2020, Saget also hosted his own podcast, Bob Saget's Here For You, in addition to maintaining his acting and standup comedy careers.
"I really love doing standup now more than I ever have," he told Jacksonville, Fla. TV station News4Jax last week. "I don't talk politics. I don't talk religion. I just want to make people laugh. I'm like the Blues Brothers, where they would knock on the door and go, 'We're on a mission from God.' I just want to make people have a good time and have a good night out."