Dick Van Patten, star of 'Eight is Enough,' dies at 86

Dick Van Patten, star of Eight is Enough and The Love Boat, has died at 86.

The actor passed away Tuesday morning in Santa Monica, Calif. due to complications from diabetes, the actor's publicist Jeff Ballard confirmed to ABC Radio. "He was the kindest man you could ever meet in life. A loving family man. They don't make them like him anymore," Ballard said.

Born in Gardens, N.Y., in 1928, Van Patten began his career as a child actor and model, and made his Broadway debut in Tapestry in Gray when he was just seven years old. Patten made the jump from Broadway to television in 1949 when he starred as Nels Hansen in Mama.

From there, Van Patten collected a slew of television and movie roles, appearing in classic comedies like Happy Days and The Dick Van Dyke Show, according to IMDb. But his most well-known role came in 1977 when he starred as patriarch Tom Bradford in Eight is Enough.

Van Patten also appeared in the Mel Brooks comedies Spaceballs and Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and appeared in recent comedies like That '70s Show, Arrested Development, and Hot in Cleveland.

Van Patten is survived by his wife Patricia and his three sons.

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