Grant Goodeve is looking back fondly onEight Is EnoughcostarAdam Richfollowing Rich’sdeathon Sunday.
Goodeve, 70, shares with PEOPLE how spending time with Rich — who played his younger brother Nicholas Bradford on the ABC series — directly influenced his and his wife’s path to parenthood.
“Adam’s passing is beyond sad to us, especially when we consider the early days of the show,” he says. “During Christmas week of 1977, my wife Debbie and I took Adam back to our family homes in Vermont.”
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“The last time we saw Adam was at Dick Van Patten’s memorial service a few years ago and he seemed to be doing very well,” he shared. “We are forever grateful to him and miss him.”
Goodeve also remembers the on-screen connection between Van Patten’s patriarch Tom Bradford and his son Nicholas: “I also have always been convinced that one of the reasons for the popularity ofEight Is Enoughwas because of the opening scenes every week with Tom Bradford and Nicholas.”
“They drew everyone in immediately and the charm, humor, and warmth between them was spectacular,” he adds. “We miss you Adam.”
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After news of Rich’s death broke on Sunday,Eight Is Enough’sWillie Aamesalsoshared his love for his former costaron Facebook, writing, “This morning [my wife]Winniewoke me with the heartbreaking news of Adam Rich’s passing. I’m gutted. Adam was more than a colleague. He was very much my only little brother. A lifelong friend.”
He added, “These last few years Adam had dreams of renewing his career. He was one of those kid actors that our generation will always remember.”
“I can’t tell you how many parents have told me they named their first child ‘Nicolas’ after hisEight Is Enoughcharacter,” he concluded. “The diminishing fraternity of kids that grew up in the golden years of family television has lost another of our own. I will miss him deeply.”
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Eight Is Enough’s on-screen stepmother Betty Buckley also shared an emotional tribute to Rich online. “Adam Rich was a light and my young pal for the four seasons I was blessed to work with him onEight Is Enough,” she captioned an Instagram gallery of photos. She also called him, “so sweet, funny, fresh and natural. He brought a lot of joy to all of us on the show and to our audiences.”
Rich died on Sunday at the age of 54. A cause of death has not been revealed, though case notes from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office confirm that Rich died in his home and indicate that further investigation is needed to determine an official cause of death.
A law enforcement sourceruled out foul playin conversation with TMZ, which was first to report Rich’s death.
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In addition to his time onEight Is Enough, Rich also appeared ABC’sCode Redin 1981 and 1983’sDungeons & Dragons, in which he voiced teenage wizard Presto the Magician.
source: people.com
