(CNN)– Bob Saget channeled his pain to help others. And now, before his death, some of his most famous friends are doing the same.
The comedian who became known as America’s Father, following playing Danny Tanner on “Full House,” died this Sunday at the age of 65.
But it was the death of his beloved sister Gay, following a battle with scleroderma, an autoimmune disease, that made him an avid advocate of raising funds to find a cure.
In fact, the star first became involved with the Scleroderma Research Foundation (SRF) prior to your sister’s diagnosis with the disease, which can lead to hardening and tightness of the connective tissue and skin.
Saget told the magazine NIH Medline Plus in 2019 that years before he received “a call from someone he did not know and asked me to present a comedy event to raise funds for a disease regarding which he knew very little.”
“I said yes and hosted the event, which was attended by Ellen DeGeneres, Rosie O’Donnell and others,” he said. “I did not know that only a few years later, my sister would be diagnosed with the disease,” he completed.
Bob Saget: My sister passed away just two years following diagnosis.
Saget shared that her sister was 44 years old and a teacher in the Philadelphia area when she was diagnosed. They used drugs like prednisone and cortisone to treat the disease, he said, but they only worked for his symptoms.
“He had to move to Los Angeles to live with my parents because he needed a lot of help,” Saget said. “She passed away only two years later.”
The host of “America’s Funniest Videos” Served on SRF’s board of directors for nearly two decades and organized its events for more than 25 years.
Following news of his death, his comedian colleague Amy Schumer posted on his verified Instagram account that he would make a donation to SRF in honor of Saget. For its part, the organization published a tribute to its most famous defender.
“In loving memory of Bob Saget, a dear colleague, friend and member of the Board of the Scleroderma Research Foundation for more than 20 years, “said the message next to a photo of Saget posted on SFR’s Instagram account. “Bob was a relentless advocate for scleroderma patients and SRF’s mission: to find a cure for scleroderma. He will be greatly missed.”
