Adam Rich's Eight Is Enough Costar Grant Goodeve on How Time with the Young Star Inspired Him to Have Kids
Grant Goodeve is looking back fondly on Eight Is Enough costar Adam Rich following Rich's death on 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."
"We had a great time and he was big hit with all our family and friends!" he continues. "We also taught him to ski, which he picked up very quickly. We were so inspired by our time with Adam that Debbie and I decided we wanted to have children and we were married the next spring."
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RELATED: Adam Rich, Star of Eight Is Enough, Dead at 54
The actor recalls his final time seeing Rich at the 2015 memorial service for their TV dad.
"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 of Eight Is Enough was 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's Willie Aames also shared his love for his former costar on Facebook, writing, "This morning [my wife] Winnie woke 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 his Eight Is Enough character," 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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RELATED: Dick Van Patten, Who Starred in Eight Is Enough and The Love Boat, Dies at 86
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 on Eight 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 source ruled out foul play in conversation with TMZ, which was first to report Rich's death.
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In addition to his time on Eight Is Enough, Rich also appeared ABC's Code Red in 1981 and 1983's Dungeons & Dragons, in which he voiced teenage wizard Presto the Magician.
