Dave Coulier’s Sobriety Helped Him Cope with the Deaths of Bob Saget, His Brother, and His Father
Dave Coulier’s love was not the only one he lost in a year.
When his Full House co-star died at the age of 65 in January, Coulier was already grieving the loss of his brother, Dan Couwlier, who died by suicide nine months prior. A month after Saget died, his father, Dave Couwlier, died at the age of 91.
“My brother committed suicide, and I discovered him downstairs at my father’s house,” Coulier exclusively told E! News. “Talk about a heartbreaker. That was extremely difficult. Then there’s my other brother, Bob Saget. I suddenly lost him… and then I lost my father right after that. “
Coulier, who has known Saget since he was 18 and once slept on his couch when he was starting his career, described Saget’s death as “another heart punch completely out of left field.”
Coulier, who stopped drinking two years ago, is grateful to have kept his sobriety while grieving.
“I really felt the raw feelings of what you’re supposed to feel for the first time in my life,” the 62-year-old told E! News.
I’ll be eternally grateful that I was sober during this because it’s what you’re supposed to feel. You’re supposed to be exhausted, to feel sadness and pain. And I wasn’t feeling it when I was drinking because all those layers were covering it up. “
He leaned on his wife, Melissa, rather than the bottle. “I couldn’t have had a better partner who’s been supportive through all of this,” he exclaimed.
The cast of Full House, including Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who he reunited with in January at Saget’s memorial in Los Angeles, was also present for moral support.
“It felt like no time had passed,” Coulier said. “They were so loving and sweet. Even though there was much sadness, there was also much joy in being able to connect the dots over the years and not miss a beat in terms of our friendships and love for each other. “
The Full House cast, which includes Lori Loughlin, John Stamos, Candace Cameron Bure, and Jodie Sweetin, has been through a lot together.
“We’ve gone through everything that a real family goes through, from getting our show picked up to getting our show canceled, to marriages, divorces, breakups, births, and deaths,” Coulier said. But, through it all, we’ve been extremely supportive of one another.
Life’s ups and downs have only brought them closer together. “If anything, life’s ups and downs have only brought them closer together,” he went on, “and how much we appreciate each other and the love that we have for each other.”
Like his former Full House co-stars, Coulier is focusing on his own projects. He’ll next appear in the new comedy series Live+Local as Tommy Murphy, a veteran local radio Christian talk show host who’s a far cry from Uncle Joey.
The actor explained: “It’s a really grumpy character.” People are familiar with me from Full House and Fuller House. So I grew my beard for the show and got to show a lot more of the other side of myself. “
“I grew out my beard for the show and got to bring a lot more of the other side of myself into this,” the actor explained, “and I got to be an executive producer on this, which was great. Being able to guide the ship through the journey was great.”
Still, he’ll fight for more Full House, including a third season. “The majority of us would be interested because we still have stories to tell,” he admitted.
“And we enjoy working together.” We’ve been laughing our way through the weeks of work. And I believe that telling stories about Bob and doing flashbacks here and there would be a great way to keep Bob’s legacy alive.
