Dave Coulier shares emotional 2021 voicemail from Bob Saget: 'I love you, Dave'
Dave Coulier is sharing an "audio hug" courtesy of the late Bob Saget.
The "Full House" star, 64, ended an episode of his "Full House Rewind" podcast released on Friday by sharing an emotional, supportive voicemail that his former co-star left him in 2021.
After Coulier's brother died by suicide, the actor explained that Saget was "the first person who called" him to offer his support and love. In the voicemail, Saget tells Coulier he is "right here, 24/7."
"I love you, Dave," Saget says. "I'm so sorry, Dave. I loved him. I'm so sorry. So I'm here. I'm here 24/7. Just call me anytime. It doesn't have to be now. It can be a week. Whenever. I can just talk to you and listen."
He closes the voicemail by telling Coulier, "I love you so much."
Saget, who played patriarch Danny Tanner on "Full House" opposite Coulier's Joey Gladstone, died in 2022 from head trauma. Authorities concluded "that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep," his publicist said at the time.
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On his podcast, Coulier recalled that Saget was the "biggest hugger I ever knew," and he urged listeners to "pass along the same kind of compassion" to others that was on display in the voicemail. "Don't miss an opportunity to tell the people you care about that you love them," he said.
Coulier's podcast is devoted to revisiting episodes of "Full House," and the latest looked back at a storyline where Saget's character, a widower, talks with his children about dating again after the death of their mother. To discuss the episode, Coulier sat down with Saget's widow, Kelly Rizzo, who was married to the comedian from 2018 until his death in 2022. Earlier this year, she revealed she is now dating actor Breckin Meyer.
Rizzo shared that the "Full House" episode had "a lot of parallels" to her own life, as she similarly spoke to Saget's three children about dating again and received their blessing to do so.
Bob Saget's widow Kelly Rizzo addresses claim she moved on too quickly after his death
"They're like, 'Kelly, we want you to be happy,'" she said, adding that having a great relationship with Saget's kids makes dealing with the grief "a lot easier."
Rizzo also remembered that when she started dating Saget, she was surprised to learn he was still close with his "Full House" co-stars and kept up with them in group chats. "He would show me and it would be literally all of you guys on one group chat, and he would be like, 'Look, 'Full House' is real! We all love each other. We're a real family.'"
Before playing the voicemail, Coulier reflected that it was "very emotional" but "cathartic" to watch Saget in an episode dealing with death and grief.
"Seeing Bob speak to the three girls about death was heart-wrenching, and not having ever seen this episode, I was blindsided by emotion," he said. "Here was my friend and co-star talking to his girls about a parent who had passed away. It was art doing a weird imitation of life."
In January, Coulier was joined by former "Full House" co-stars John Stamos, Jodie Sweetin, Candace Cameron Bure and Andrea Barber to mark the two-year anniversary of Saget's death in a discussion shared on TikTok and Instagram.
"It almost gets weirder as time goes on, because I'm like, 'Wow, it's been a long time since I've heard from Bob,'" Barber, who played Kimmy Gibbler on the show, said. "And then I'm like, 'Oh.' You know? It's so weird to have gone two years without getting a crazy long text from him or a neurotic phone call."
If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dave Coulier shares emotional voicemail from Bob Saget
