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.
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. pic.twitter.com/se4fwh7G1G
— Ed Asner (@TheOnlyEdAsner) May 29, 2021
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.