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Alan Thicke died after aorta artery tore, then ruptured

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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Alan Thicke's death certificate states the actor died of a ruptured aorta.

Thicke's death certificate was released Wednesday, two days after the actor was buried in a Santa Barbara cemetery with several of his "Growing Pains" cast mates in attendance.

The cause of death was determined by a doctor and no autopsy was performed on the Canadian actor, songwriter and talk show host.

Thicke died at a Burbank, California, hospital on Dec. 13 at age 69.

His death certificate released Wednesday states Thicke's aorta artery ruptured three hours after first developing a tear.

His wife, Tanya Thicke, wrote in a statement released Tuesday that their family was dealing with "gut wrenching sadness and unbelievable grief."

An aortic tear also killed actor John Ritter in 2003.