Jewish comedian and TV actor Bob Saget has passed away at the age of 65.
The actor, who found fame as a main character on US sitcom 'Full House' was found dead in a hotel room in Orlando, Florida, just hours after performing a stand-up show in the city.
The cause of death is not yet known, but police have ruled out drugs or foul play as factors in Mr. Saget's death.
Mr. Saget was a lifelong performer who often said that his raunchy sense of humour was developed while misbehaving in Hebrew school as a young boy.
According to an interview he gave to the Atlanta Jewish Times in 2014, “In my Hebrew school training, I would spend more time trying to impress the girls in the class. I remember the rabbi taking me up to his office and saying ‘Saget, you’re not an entertainer; you have to stop doing this.’ I couldn’t stop.”
He often commented on his Jewish heritage, writing in a book foreword:“I was born a Jewish boy. I was circumcised. Thank God by a professional. That is not something you want done by a novice. Or someone doing it for college credit. I ‘became Jewish’ instantly upon birth.”
Whilst he was not practicing, Saget spoke fondly of his Jewish heritage and often used it as material in his comedy. According to the JTA, Saget was moved by a family trip to Israel, saying:“It was quite a gift and there were many spiritual things that happened throughout and that I think is still the closest I’ve felt, because you can actually see it and feel it in the air in Israel,” he said.