Bruce Glikas/FilmMagicAs Hollywood mourns the death of legend Don Rickles, his successors are celebrating him in the most fitting way—by sharing stories.
Known for his tales around the dinner table, the late comic was remembered yet again on Jimmy Kimmel Live Monday night thanks to story time with his dear friends and fans, Bob Saget and John Stamos. The stars recalled their first interactions with the icon—Stamos' at a greek restaurant, Saget's at a casino in New Jersey.
"I became in love with him at 17 years old," the Full House alum said. "I was underage and so, I got arrested."
In time, the men developed quite the brotherhood and, while Stamos is cautious about using such phrasing, Rickles became like a "father figure" for the men, particularly when it came to settling down.
"He was worried about Bob," Stamos quipped. "He really wanted me to find a girl," he added about himself.
"He said, 'Stop dating teenagers,'" Saget jumped in.
Of course, the ribbing was all done with love. "When he was mean to you, it was like a privilege. It was like a gift," Saget explained.
"For every mean thing he said in his whole career, he said two nice things for that," Stamos continued.
Fortunately, Stamos revealed Rickles did get his wish. "I finally met a beautiful woman who I'm madly in love with and Don got to meet her and approved her and was just crazy about her," Stamos added of his current girlfriend, Caitlin McHugh.
The pals also remembered all the times they would sneak Rickles food. Despite his wife's caution—the comic was diabetic—Stamos would sneak him cookies under the table and Saget would make sure he had the hot dogs at Craig's.
"John Stamos and Bob Saget—between the cookies and hot dogs—killed Don Rickles," Kimmel joked.
Amid all of the laughter, there were a few tears. "I just love this guy," Saget said as his eyes welled up.
"It's been the highlight of my life to spend time with him," Stamos added. As Saget concluded, "That's the truth."