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Eight months ahead of Bob Saget’s unexpected death, the comedian talked about mortality and how it transformed his worldview.
Saget, killed from head trauma in January at 65, went on a sit-down interview with Radio Rahim in May 2021 for a candid talk about life, death, and loss for Til This Day, a podcast.
In the interview, which was recently released, Saget stated that he faced up to mortality following many encounters with death in his family, admitting that he took comfort in arts to muddle through his grief.
“At 65, I’m different than I was. We’re all rethinking what we said 20 years ago, ten years ago, four years ago. I’m not even rethinking it; I just don’t have the same way of doing humor or conversation,” said Saget, indicating that losses helped him grow.
“I guess therapy, having three kids, watching people pass away in the past few years, mortality – all that stuff has fortunately changed me.”
Saget further said that he was taught to accept life due to his father, who suffered the loss of five siblings: “My kids tell me, ‘Dad, you’re different. It’s so nice to watch you grow.”
“I was 9, and we had so many deaths growing up that my dad would just instill [having fun] in me,” he continued. “He didn’t teach it to me. I just saw [how] he reacted… He buried all his siblings. I helped him write the speech at 3:30 in the morning in Philly.”
On Wednesday, the second part of the three-part Saget interview was released, giving reflections on mental health and the George Bailey-based discernment he had on his 60th birthday party.
PEOPLE revealed Saget stated that his Full House co-actor John Stamos aided his realization of the number of lives he touched after his party.
“We all have many poignant moments, and they do seem to have an age tag on them,” he said to Rahim.
“Fifty is a big one. Sixty hit me very hard, but a friend of mine threw a big party for me that I didn’t expect it to be. It was Stamos. I found out how much love that I had given to receive so much love from people… It’s like It’s a Wonderful Life when George Bailey wants to kill himself.”
He added, “The movie starts, he’s on a bridge. He’s going to kill himself. And then an angel takes him through his life and shows him what would’ve happened had he not existed.”
The birthday party aided in Saget’s realization that he had “given a lot of life to people because I have a lot,” he stated. “I have an extreme amount. I was raised with it. It’s what helped me to survive and stay sane. It’s helped me not let myself die.”
