Dick Van Patten, who played the family patriarch on the ABC series Eight Is Enough, has died, his publicist Jeff Ballard confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 86.
The soft-spoken actor died Tuesday morning at Saint John’s Hospital in Santa Monica due to complications from diabetes. Ballard said in a statement,
“He was the kindest man you could ever meet in life. A loving family man. They don’t make them like him anymore.”
Survivors include his wife of more than 60 years, Pat, a former June Taylor dancer; sons Nels, Jimmy and Vincent, all actors; and sister Joyce Van Patten, an actress too.
