I just read a tweet on Twitter, which brought me to tears. Ed Asner posted: “My heart is broken. Gavin was my brother, my partner in crime (and food) and my comic conspirator. I will see you in a bit Gavin. Tell the gang I will see them in a bit. Betty! It’s just you and me now.” He shared this photo of the two of them. 

In my heart, I hoped it wasn’t true but I quickly did a search and found a Hollywood Reporter story confirming: “Gavin MacLeod, Star of ‘The Love Boat’ and ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ Dies at 90.” 

I’ve been fortunate to meet Gavin a couple of times, all thanks to Princess Cruises (here’s my post from their Love Boat cast reunion) and he was truly a nice man and a gentleman. I think I was brought to tears because I grew up watching The Love Boat and it had a huge impact on me and played a part in inspiring me to travel for a living. Gavin was a father figure of sorts, teaching us right vs. wrong through the TV series. 

He was just a couple of years younger than my dad and I remember both of them casually talking together at a lunch table for a long time and really hitting it off. I had a feeling that my dad had no idea who he was while they were chatting, so I told him afterwards. He said, “I never watched that show but what a nice man.” That’s exactly what he was. Thank you, Gavin for the lessons, the inspiration, and the memories.

 

 

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