Bob Saget dies at 65: The Full House star found dead in Orlando hotel room after comedy show

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Bob Saget, who went from being a respected stand-up comedian to a successful star of Full House, has died at age 65.

Sources close to the comic say he died Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida, and police confirmed his death shortly afterward.

Employees of the hotel found Saget in his room around 4 p.m., and Sheriff’s deputies and the fire department arrived soon after. 

Few details are currently available about the circumstances leading up to Saget’s death, though sources said he was pronounced dead in his hotel room. 

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office told TMZ that it has ‘no information on cause of death, and detectives have found no signs of foul play or drug use in this case.’ 

A day before his death, Saget posted on upbeat tweet and Instagram following a set in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday in which he wrote that performing felt as fresh as ‘when I was 26’ and said he ‘finding my new voice and loving every moment of it’, ending the message with ‘peace out’. 

Tributes rushed in for the comedy star with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who took turns playing his youngest daughter on Full House, describing Saget as ‘the most loving, compassionate and generous man.’

They said: ‘We are deeply saddened that he is no longer with us but know that he will continue to be by our side to guide us as gracefully as he always has. We are thinking of his daughters, wife and family and are sending our condolences.’  

Saget’s Full House costar John Stamos wrote that he was ‘broken’ and ‘gutted’ after hearing the news. ‘I am in complete and utter shock. I will never ever have another friend like him. I love you so much Bobby,’ he lamented on Twitter.

The star is survived by his wife Kelly Rizzo, whom he married in 2018, and his three children — Aubrey, 34; Lara, 32; and Jennifer, 29 — all of whom he shared with his first wife Sherri Kramer, whom he was married to from 1982 to 1997. 

His family paid tribute to their ‘beloved Bob’, saying they were ‘devastated’ by his passing. ‘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,’ a statement said.    

Officials added that ‘the Medical Examiner’s Office will make the final call on the cause and manner of death.’ 

The comedian’s unexpected death comes amid his cross-country stand-up tour, which kicked off back in September 2021.

He had recently played a string of dates in Florida, including a show in Orlando.

On Saturday, the night before his body was discovered, Saget sent his final tweet following a show at Jacksonville, Florida’s Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. 

‘Loved tonight’s show @PV_ConcertHall in Jacksonville. Appreciative audience,’ he wrote. ‘Thanks again to @RealTimWilkins for opening. I had no idea I did a 2 hr set tonight. I’m happily addicted again to this s***. Check BobSaget.com for my dates in 2022.’

The comedy icon began his career as a stand-up in his hometown of Philadelphia, before heading west to Los Angeles. 

He went on to have a string of small parts in films starting in the late 1970s, but it wasn’t until a decade later that he became a household name. 

Although he developed a reputation among his fellow stand-up comedians for his profane comedy sets, Saget paradoxically had his greatest success with the heartwarming sitcom Full House.

He starred on the ABC series as Danny Tanner from 1987 through 1995, and then led the Netflix sequel series Fuller House for five seasons from 2016 to 2020.

In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper from July 2021, Saget revealed that he never expected to lean into cleaner comedy shows like Full House.

‘Full House was an accident,’ he said. ‘I got fired on CBS and was asked to be in Full House.’ 

Saget played a widowed  sports anchor who moves in with his late wife’s brother Jesse (John Stamos) and his childhood friend Joey (Dave Coulier) as they help him raise his three daughters, played by Candace Cameron, Jodie Sweetin and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who split the role of Michelle Tanner.

‘My heart is broken,’ said Dave Coulier, who played a comedian on Full House. ‘I love you, Bob. Your forever brother, Dave.’  

Andrea Barber, who played Kimmy Gibbler on Full House and its sequel series, shared a sweet still from Fuller House of herself hugging Saget to mark his death.

‘This one hurts,’ she began her lengthy caption. ‘He had the biggest heart of anyone in Hollywood. He gave the biggest hugs. I am gutted that I will never be able to hug him again.

‘Bob ended every text, every interaction with ‘Love you.’ Didn’t matter how long or short we’d been apart. He loved so deeply and so fiercely,’ she continued.

‘And he never hesitated to tell you just how much you meant to him. This is the greatest lesson I learned from Bob Saget — don’t hesitate to tell people you love them. I feel at peace knowing that Bob knew exactly how much I adore him.’

She concluded: ‘Rest well, my dear friend. I have no doubt you are making everyone in Heaven laugh until their cheeks hurt, just as you did here on Earth ❤️.’ 

Candace Cameron Bure, who played the actor’s daughter D.J. Tanner on Full House, was left speechless after learning of his death. 

‘I don’t know what to say [broken-hearted emoji]. I have no words,’ she tweeted. ‘Bob was one of the best human beings I’ve ever known in my life. I loved him so much.’

The comedian played up his family-friendly bona fides by concurrently starring on America’s Funniest Home Videos from 1989 through 1997.

He hosted the series, which collected humorous home videos sent in by fans, and also provided voiceovers for the clips to ramp up the comedy.

Although he didn’t appear in front of the camera, Saget’s recognizable voice narrated another ABC sitcom, How I Met Your Mother, in which he played an older version of Ted Mosby (played on-screen by Josh Radnor).

Radnor eulogized his colleague in a Twitter thread, culminating with a smiley photo of the two.

Like so many others, he described his friend as ‘the kindest, loveliest, funniest, most supportive man’ and a ‘mensch among mensches.’ 

The actor and comedian poked fun at his image with a recurring role on HBO’s Entourage, and he also led the single-season WB sitcom Raising Dad, which featured rising stars Kat Dennings and Brie Larson with Sopranos fixture Jerry Adler.

Dennings expressed her sorrow at news of her former costars death on Sunday.

‘Oh god. Bob Saget!!! The loveliest man. I was his TV daughter for one season and he was always so kind and protective. So so sorry for his family,’ she tweeted. 

Saget wasn’t afraid to get a bit silly, and one of his recent appearances was as a disguised figure on The Masked Singer.

He focused more on his preferred brand of comedy in recent years with his podcast Bob Saget’s Here For You, which he began recording in 2020. 

Other small but impactful roles include an uncredited part as a cocaine addict in Dave Chappelle’s 1998 stoner comedy Half Baked, and he was one of the many comedians featured in the documentary The Aristocrats, about the infamous foul comedy routine of the title.

When he wasn’t on stage or in front of the camera, Saget also tried his hand at directing.

He helmed the Norm Macdonald–starring comedy Dirty Work, which was reviled by critics but later reevaluated as a cult classic, and he provided voices for and directed the straight-to-video parody film Farce Of The Penguins. 

Last year, Rizzo revealed on Instagram that the couple had spent their first Christmas together, despite having been married multiple years.

‘So happy to spend my very first Christmas with @BobSaget (even though we’ve been married over 3 years!) because he’s finally in Chicago for the holidays!’ she captioned a cute photo of the couple holding hands in front of a Chinese dragon statue.

Shortly before his death, Saget mused about the nature of the afterlife while paying tribute to Betty White after she died just days away from her 100th birthday.

‘I don’t know what happens when we die, but if Betty says you get to be with the love of your life, then I happily defer to Betty on this,’ he wrote, noting the actress’ undying love for her late husband Allen Ludden, who died in 1981.

Saget managed to be an unending source of humor for his fans despite several family tragedies earlier in life.

His sister Andrea died of a brain aneurysm in 1985, and his other sister Gay died from the autoimmune disease scleroderma in 1994. 

In a 2019 interview with NIH Medline Plus Magazine, Saget revealed he had been working with the Scleroderma Research Foundation even prior to his sister’s diagnosis.

The disease leads to hardening of the skin and connective tissue, and the TV star described it as ‘incredibly painful,’ adding that his family was ‘still having post-traumatic stress disorder’ from caring for his sister in her final days.

His experience with the disease later inspired him to direct the TV Movie For Hope, which starred Dana Delany as a woman diagnosed with the same illness that killed his sister. 

Following news of Saget’s death, tributes began flowing in from his famous friends and admirers, most of whom noted Saget’s warmth and kindness. 

Although SNL star Pete Davidson doesn’t have his own social media accounts, he had a friend share a statement online in which he revealed that Saget had had played an essential role in helping him with mental health issues.

‘Bob Saget was one of the nicest men on the planet,’ he began.

‘When I was younger and several times throughout our friendship he helped me get through some rough mental health stuff. He stayed on the phone with my mom for hours trying to help in anyway he can — connecting us with doctors and new things we can try,’ he continued. ‘He would check in on me and make sure I was okay. 

‘I love you Bob it was an honor to know you. Thank you for your kindness and friendship. My condolences to the family.’ 

Jim Carrey memorialized the late comedian with a black-and-white photo of the two in their early years.

He called Saget ‘beautiful’ and added, ‘He had a big, big heart and a wonderfully warped comic mind. He gave the world a lot of joy and lived his life for goodness’ sake.’ 

Adam Sandler called Saget a ‘great man’ and ‘funny as hell,’ adding, ‘Such a nice person. Love to Bob and his whole family.’ 

The Office star B.J. Novak, who had appeared on Bob Saget’s Here For You earlier in January, reacted to the news with a simple broken-hearted emoji. 

On January 3, he had retweeted a clip from his episode and serenaded the late comic: ‘I have always and will always love Bob Saget.’

Billy Crystal was ‘shocked and saddened’ to learn of Saget’s death. He called him ‘A great friend and one of the funniest and sweetest people I have ever known.’ 

‘Sail on my friend Bob Saget With your huge heart and abject lunacy,’ Whoopi Goldberg wrote. ‘My condolences to his daughters & other family.’ 

Saget’s friend and fellow comic Gilbert Gottfried shared a photo of the two warmly embracing in his tribute post.

‘Still in shock. I just spoke with Bob a few days ago,’ he wrote. ‘We stayed on the phone as usual making each other laugh. RIP to friend, comedian & fellow Aristocrat Bob Saget.’ 

Former Daily Show host Jon Stewart simply wrote that Saget was ‘Just the funniest and nicest…’  

Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen tweeted that the Full House star ‘had the biggest heart and wore it on his sleeve.’

‘He was so generous with his feelings. A mensch,’ he added. 

Danny DeVito wrote, ‘So sad about Bob Saget. Rest in Peace.’ 

Legendary television writer and producer Norman Lear was beaming ear-to-ear in a throwback photo he posted featuring Saget.

‘Bob Saget was as lovely a human as he was funny. And to my mind, he was hilarious. We were close friends and I could not have loved him more,’ he wrote.

Star Trek’s George Takei wrote that he was ‘saddened to learn of the untimely passing of comedian Bob Saget,’ whom he said was a ‘regular presence in our living rooms, bring to us the funniest videos and countless belly laughs.’

‘Gone too soon, like so many of the brightest souls,’ he added. 

Henry Winkler alluded to Saget’s risqué stand-up comedy in his tribute. 

‘BOB … it was great to know you … Oh are you going to make God blush,’ he joked. 

Community star Joel McHale wrote that he was ‘shocked at @bobsaget’s passing.’

‘One of the most kind & thoughtful people I’ve ever come across & he just happened to be one of the funniest on the planet,’ he continued. ‘I will miss you so much Bob. Love you dear friend. I’m so sorry @kellyrizzo. And so sorry to the rest of the family.’

Howie Mandel posted a playful photo featuring his old friend and wrote, ‘Comedy and tragedy are so close together and today they collided.’ 

Comedian Dane cook wrote that he was ‘stunned beyond belief’ at Saget’s death.

‘I’m confused and sad here… I just spoke with him a couple days ago and we just had the most beautiful podcast chat over the holidays,’ he wrote. ‘I loved him. I can not believe this.’

The Masked Singer panelist Ken Jeong was in ‘shock’ and ‘so numb right now.’ 

Russell Crowe applauded Saget as ‘a good hang’ and ‘a good chat,’ adding that he was ‘kind, funny, generous.’ 

‘Damn it @bobsaget you left your body,’ wrote Seth Green,’ who said he would ‘celebrate’ Sage’s ‘genius,’ ‘giant heart’ and ‘joy for life.’

‘Thank you for helping me through the inevitable sadness of life with comedy. At least now you can hang with Rodney & Don again. Love you forever.’ 

George Lopez simply wrote that Saget’s death was ‘devastating news’ and copied the late comedian’s final tweet. 

Comedian Jim Norton bemoaned how ‘Everything I start to write about him just feels inadequate.’

‘He is universally loved. I am so grateful he was my friend.’ 

Community’s Yvette Nicole Brown wrote that she had recently worked with Saget and bemoaned what seemed like a string of deaths of beloved stars.

‘He was such a lovely, funny man,’ she wrote. ‘What is going on?!’

Tom Green said he was ‘extremely saddened’ to hear of Saget’s death. ‘You were always hilarious and kind. You made my life and so many other peoples lives better Bob. Rest In Peace.’ 

Pauly Shore recounted how he first met Saget at The Comedy Store ‘when I was just a kid in the 1970s.’ 

Jane Lynch urged her followers to check out Saget’s acclaimed (and raunchy) ‘impromptu The Aristocrats story on YouTube. It’s brilliant and not for the faint of heart.’ 

Tom Arnold joked that ‘The only people who said terrible things about Bob Saget were his best friends [broken-hearted emoji].’ 

‘I f***ing loved that dude,’ gushed comedian Brian Posehn. ‘I’ll never see him in an airport and talk s*** about Stamos again. What a kick in the gut,’ he wrote.

‘My heart breaks for @JohnStamos and @DaveCoulier, so sorry fellas,’ he added.

Artie Lange, who costarred in Dirty Work, wrote that ‘Bob was so special to me and I’ll be sad about this day forever.’

‘Please be kind like Bob always was and considering donating here. It would mean everything to him,’ he wrote, linking to a page for the National Scleroderma Foundation. 

Saget’s sister died from the disease in 1994, according to his website. 

Paris Hilton was ‘so sad’ to learn of the comic star’s death. ‘You brought so many laughs to so many homes and will forever be an entertainment legend. You will be greatly missed.’ 

Country singer Mickey Guyton was ‘completely heartbroken’ over the news.

Patton Oswalt revealed that he had Saget over to his house in October to interview him for a documentary.

‘We were going to catch up over coffee when he was done editing and now I’m crying F***,’ he wrote.

Comedian Marc Maron called the America’s Funniest Home Videos host ‘truly one of the nicest guys and so funny.’ 

Zelda Williams, daughter of the late Robin Williams, urged Saget’s devastated fans to ‘please try to be mindful of the mourning, and privacy, of his loved ones.’

‘Don’t bombard them if they have socials. Don’t consume clickbait media that may have invaded their privacy or violated their safety. They’re human.’

Kathy Griffin seconded B.J. Novak’s love for Saget in her own tweet.

‘You couldn’t find a nicer or sharper wit than Bog Saget. Shocked and devastated.’

Comedian Nikki Glaser added that he was ‘as kind as he was funny.’

‘There wasn’t a kinder person in Hollywood than Bob Saget,’ Josh Gad tweeted. ‘I am having trouble wrapping my head around this. I do not want to believe this. It’s all too much to handle.’

Rob Schneider called Saget a ‘kind and gentle presence that always made every one in the room feel at ease.’

John Fogerty, of Creedence Clearwater Revival fame, shared a photo of himself with Saget, writing that his family ‘loved’ the comedian and was ‘devastated’ to learn of his death.

Former SNL star Jay Pharoah tweeted a photo of himself with the late actor and wrote that he ‘loved’ Saget, who was ‘one of, if not the nicest human being I have ever been blessed to meet.’

‘I’m glad to have called you friend, brother and supporter. Heaven just got a little more sweet and funnier RIP to my homie forever bro,’ he added. 

The illusionist David Copperfield called Saget ‘Such a Wonderful Talented Person’ and added, ‘we will miss you.’

Songwriter Diane Warren could barely handle the news.

‘What sad s***** beyond f***ed up news about Bob Saget. F***,’ she cursed. 

Larry the Cable Guy admitted he only met Saget once when he dropped by an Orlando comedy club to workshop new material, but the two ‘had such a blast that night and shared tons of laughs.’

Filmmaker and comedian Judd Apatow joined others in celebrating the stand-up comic’s kindness.

‘Bob Saget was so kind and when you spent time with him he made you laugh hard,’ he tweeted. ‘He loved to be funny and he was hysterical. He was also there for everyone. A beautiful soul.’

Neal Brennan, who co-wrote Half Baked with Dave Chappelle, tried to find some humor that Saget might have approved of in his tribute.

‘Until I found out my friend Bob Saget’s cause of death, I’m just gonna assume irritable bowel syndrome. It’s what he would want,’ he joked.

Sherri Shepherd added that he was ‘so nice’ when she would perform with him at iconic New York City and Los Angeles comedy clubs. 

Amy Schumer wrote that Saget was ‘fun to be around’ and shared that she was making a charitable donation in his honor. 

Demi Lovato posted a photo of him looking particularly fatherly and wrote that they were ‘Honored to have met’ him,’ adding that he was ‘America’s dad.’ 

Comedian Chelsea Handler called him the ‘kindest, warmest male comic there was.’

‘I loved it whenever I saw him, or heard from him. He was the guy that everyone loved. Love you, Bob Saget. You will be missed and loved for a long time.’ 

The comedian George Wallace wrote that he had ‘four decades of friendship’ with Saget and noted that they spend a Thanksgiving together early in their careers.

‘He cooked the turkey but had no idea you were supposed to take the innards out. We completely lost it,’ he joked. ‘Do us a favor Bob and stay outta hell so we can talk s*** again someday. Love you, my friend.’ 

The singer–songwriter Richard Marx could barely believe the news. ‘No way. Not Bob,’ he wrote.

Everybody Loves Raymond actress Patricia Heaton thanked right-wing commentator Dave Rubin for introducing her to Saget at a dinner.