Mike Young is holding up “terribly” after losing his friend Bob Saget.
The actor-comedian, known for his role as beloved single dad Danny Tanner on the sitcom “Full House” and as the wisecracking host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” died while on a stand-up tour. He was 65.
Deputies in Orange County, Florida, were called Sunday about an “unresponsive man” in a hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando and found Saget dead, according to a sheriff’s statement on Twitter. Detectives found “no signs of foul play or drug use in this case.”
The fellow comedian and director told Fox News that he and Saget last spoke on Friday night while the TV star was eagerly hitting the road.
Mike Young (right) honored his ‘mentor’ and ‘brother’ on Instagram (Courtesy of Mike Young)
“Bob would always say, ‘I love you,'” Young tearfully recalled. “Like I was his kid. I haven’t felt anything like this since my dad passed. He was like a father figure to me. He was my mentor. … We just laughed. He told me his show in Orlando went great. And he was so excited to do Jacksonville. And he couldn’t wait to get to West Palm Beach. But the last time we spoke he said, ‘I love you, buddy.’ That’s how he ended every conversation.”
Young and Saget first met on the set of “Entourage” through a mutual friend about 11 years ago.
“I was already touring as a comedian, and Bob was like, ‘I got a couple of dates you could do,'” said Young. “We ended up touring nearly every club in the country every weekend. We became more than best friends — we were like brothers. He was such an open book of love. Bob was the dude who took care of everything. Flights were always taken care of; hotels were always booked. Bob made sure the restaurants were going to be open and feed us after a show — he just took care of everybody on the road.”
“Everyone loved Bob,” Young continued. “From Norman Lear to his old buddy from high school who still cuts deli meat. He was just loved on every level. He was a special, sensitive dude. There was no mistake about that. There’s a reason he worked for 40 or so years in the business, right? People just loved him. And his heart just came through when he was on stage.”
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Actor Bob Saget (left) and director Mike Young attend the premiere for The Orchard’s ‘A Stand Up Guy’ on Feb. 9, 2016, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chris Weeks/Getty Images for The Orchard)
Young shared that Saget was excited to return to his stand-up roots. At the time of his death, Saget was in Florida as part of his “I Don’t Do Negative Comedy Tour.” After warm audience receptions to his gigs Friday in Orlando and Saturday in the Ponte Vedra Beach resort area, he celebrated online.
“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,” Saget posted Saturday on Instagram.
Young stressed that all Saget wanted to do was “make people happy.”
“He was a guy who didn’t have to go on the road every week,” he shared. “But he did. It surprised me that he wanted to be out there making people laugh because he could have easily taken a couple of months off. He’s been on TV for 40 years or so. So it did surprise me how hard he worked, but how efficient he worked, too. He always made sure that everything at the club was perfect. He did not slack at all. Watching him made me a better comedian, a better business person.”
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Bob Saget was on the road doing stand-up at the time of his death. (Getty Images)
Young said there were plenty of laughs between the pair — especially when they were on the road.
“We were traveling back one time to New York City from Jersey at one o’clock in the morning, and Bob didn’t trust drivers,” said Young. “So he wanted to drive himself from a gig. We pulled behind a dumpster in a shady neighborhood. Bob had to go to the bathroom so bad before we got to the tunnel. I said, ‘Bob, I don’t know if this is a good idea.’ He pulls behind the dumpster to go to the bathroom. And within three seconds, a carload of what looked to me like gang members got out of the car. I’m like, ‘We’re about to get robbed in Jersey City.'”
“I’m like, ‘Bob, get back in the car!'” he continued. “And these guys all looked at Bob, and they’re just so shocked. They’re stunned to see Bob Saget go to the bathroom behind the dumpster like nothing. We were all shocked. Meanwhile, Bob walks back to the car and is like, ‘What’s the matter?’ Bob did not see danger. He didn’t even know what danger was. He’s just a good kid from Philly. Me being from Detroit, I have my radar up for anything. I just told him, ‘Thank God you’re famous. Now get in the car and let’s go.'”
And there was the time that Saget saved his life — or nearly killed him, depending on how you look at it.
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Bob Saget, seen here kissing one of the Olsen twins, is celebrated as one of America’s favorite TV dads. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
“After a terrible flight, I had what I thought was a bad back cramp,” said Young. “He’s like, ‘Get on the ground. I know how to handle cramps. Don’t worry.’ He puts his knuckle on my ribs, and all of a sudden, whatever pain I had moved over to the other side of my body. So then he goes, ‘Let’s go to the hospital.’ It ends up being a blood clot. So Bob Saget saved my life. But he almost nearly killed me by sending it to the other side of my lung when he put his knuckle in it.”
Young shared that Saget was thrilled to keep busy in the new year and already had a slew of tour dates scheduled, as well as other projects in the works.
“The irony is that on the day this broke, I was on the phone with 20 people that were all excited to come to the show at West Palm,” he said. “It’s surreal that I’m even talking about losing someone who was like a brother to me.”
Young said he hopes fans will remember Saget for his comedic talent, as well as his kindness.
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Bob Saget and his wife Kelly Rizzo attend the ‘Untitled: Dave Chappelle Documentary’ premiere during the 2021 Tribeca Festival at Radio City Music Hall on June 19, 2021 in New York City. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)
“I wish people got to know the real Bob because he was even sweeter than the TV Bob,” said Young. “He loved his daughters beyond belief. Everything was about his daughters. … He was a family guy and a true friend. I miss him, now and always.”
Saget starred as the squeaky clean patriarch in “Full House” from 1987 until 1995. He reprised his role for the Netflix reboot “Fuller House,” which ran from 2016 until 2020. He was also heard as the narrator on “How I Met Your Mother,” which aired for nine seasons on CBS.
In early 2020, Saget was preparing for the start of his comedy tour when the pandemic put it on hold. He turned his energies to a podcast, “Bob Saget’s Here For You,” which gave fans an open mic to comment and ask him questions.
Saget had daughters Aubrey, Lara and Jennifer with first wife Sherri Kramer before divorcing in 1997. He married Kelly Rizzo in 2018.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
