Jimmy Kimmel’s emotional tribute to Bob Saget, as police investigate cause of death

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has delivered an emotional tribute to Bob Saget, as police revealed new details about the star’s cause of death.

Jimmy Kimmel has broken down over the death of Bob Saget, calling the late star “the sweetest man”.

“Bob was the sweetest. He was the sweetest man,” Kimmel said, on Jimmy Kimmel Live! as he held back tears.

“I have so many wonderfully kind and supportive texts and emails and calls from Bob,” Kimmel said, in the pre-taped monologue.

“He always had a compliment. He’d write sometimes just to tell me he loved me and I know he did that for many people.

Bob Saget, centre, with Full House co-stars Candace Cameron Bure and Ashley Olsen (far right) in 2015. They remained close friends until his death. Picture: Getty Images

“He had something funny to say about everything and nothing bad to say about anyone. Never,” Kimmel said.

“He was so funny, and I’m not talking about Full House or America’s Funniest Home Videos or stand-up comedy or movies, I mean funny for real.

“If there were people he didn’t like, he kept it to himself. He was — unlike me, he was a good person.

“He was very kind to everyone and he had no problem telling you that he loved you and what you meant to him,” he said.

Fans paid their respects to the late star outside the Full House home in San Francisco. Picture: Getty Images

‘SUDDEN MEDICAL EMERGENCY’

It came amid US reports that suggested Saget died from a heart attack or stroke.

The actor, who was best known for his role in Full House, was discovered “unresponsive” in his bed by Ritz-Carlton Orlando hotel security staff on Sunday, local time.

While Saget’s cause of death might not be officially determined for weeks, law enforcement noted signs pointing to a “sudden medical emergency”, per TMZ.

Authorities cited the position in which Saget’s body was found lying on the bed, with his left hand over his chest.

Saget was found unresponsive by staff in a Florida hotel room about an hour after he was due to check out.

The death of Bob Saget has shocked Hollywood. Picture: AFP

The Full House star was “not breathing” and had “no pulse” by the time the alarm was raised by the housekeeper who found him, according to the 911 audio.

Per the New York Post, a security guard from the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando alerted authorities on around 4pm local time, after the employee found Saget in his hotel bed, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.

“We have an unresponsive guest in the room. My officer is telling me there’s no pulse,” the guard said in the chilling 911 audio, obtained by the New York Post.

“Unresponsive, not breathing and no pulse.”

Authorities are also exploring Saget’s revelation last week that he’d recently battled Covid-19.

Saget had spoken recently about battling Covid-19, saying he was unsure whether he’d had the Delta or Omicron variant, though he did not specify when he’d been diagnosed.

Developing blood clots has been reported as a possible complication from the virus.

The America’s Funniest Home Videos host had been cracking jokes about the virus on a podcast just days before he passed away. “It’s very popular, it’s doing very well,” the “Full House” icon, who died Sunday at the age of 65, joked of the Omicron variant during a Jan. 5 interview on the podcast “A Corporate Time with Tom & Dan.”

He also spoke about the experience of performing stand-up for audiences during the pandemic.

“If it’s half-full, I go, ‘Oh, that’s disappointing,’ then all of a sudden 200 people show up because they decide at the last minute, ‘What the hell, when are we going to see Bob? He might die from Covid, let’s go see him,’” he joked at the time.

A final cause of death can’t be determined until the medical examiner gets Saget’s toxicology results, which could take 10-12 weeks to complete.

The late Bob Saget performed on stage hours before he was found dead. Picture: AFP

It comes as celebrities from across the entertainment spectrum flocked to Saget’s house on Monday, local time, after the comic’s untimely death to support his wife, Kelly Rizzo, as she mourned.

According to Page Six, Saget’s Full House co-star John Stamos embraced Rizzo at the front door of the couple’s home after exiting his car. Candace Cameron Bure was another of the iconic show’s mainstays who visited, and musician John Mayer and fellow comic Jeff Ross were also among those who showed up to pay their respects.

“Bob was my absolute everything,” Rizzo, 42, told Page Six on Monday. “I am so completely shattered and in disbelief. I am so deeply touched by the outpouring of love and tribute from our friends, family, his fans and his peers.”

“America’s Dad” is also survived by his adult children — Aubrey, 34, Lara, 32, and Jennifer, 29 — from his previous marriage to screenwriter and former lawyer Sharri Kramer.

The beloved actor with his Full House co-stars Dave Coulier and John Stamos in 2017. Picture: AFP

The 65-year-old comedian was found lying on his back in bed with his left arm across his chest and his right arm resting on the bed.

The hotel staff who made the grim discovery told police Saget was “cold to the touch, yellow and clammy”.

The comedy star’s belongings were on the nightstand, TV stand, closet and bathroom — and the room was “orderly”, the report stated.

It also emerged that Saget’s family had called the hotel to check on him after they were unable to reach him that day, authorities said. His body was discovered about an hour after he was meant to check out of the hotel.

There were no signs of disturbance or trauma, and investigators said they had found “no signs of foul play or drug use in this case”.

Authorities said he used his key to enter the Ritz-Carlton at about 2.15am after performing a show Saturday night.

He posted a selfie on social media around 3.45am about his performance, saying: “Loved tonight’s show … Appreciative audience”.

Meantime, it has been revealed that Saget battled Covid in the weeks before his death, TMZ reports.

He had made the admission on a US podcast A Corporate Time with Tom & Dan which was recorded as recently as last week.

In it, Saget described his experience with Covid as “not good”. “Bob actually sounded ill on the phone, which the hosts noted once he left the chat,” TMZ said.

Full House stars Dave Coulier, Andrea Barber, John Stamos, Blake Tuomy-Wilhoit, Lori Loughlin, Jodie Sweetin, Bob Saget (second from top right), Ashley Olsen, Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit, Candace Cameron, Scott Weinger. Picture: Getty Images

A “devastated” Lori Loughlin mourned the loss of her former “Full House” co-star Bob Saget after his tragic death this weekend.

“Words cannot begin to express how devastated I am. Bob was more than my friend, he was my family,” Loughlin, 57, told Page Six in a statement. “I will miss his kind heart and quick wit. Thank you for a lifetime of wonderful memories and laughter. I love you Bobby.”

Loughlin played the role of Aunt Becky in “Full House” alongside Saget from 1987 to 1995. In the sitcom, Aunt Becky was the close friend and co-host of Saget’s character, Danny Tanner, on the fictional morning news show “Wake Up, San Francisco.”

They starred alongside each other in the Netflix reboot of the show, “Fuller House,” from 2016 to 2018.

Saget and Loughlin remained on good terms after the shows ended and he even gushed over her following her involvement in the college admissions scandal that landed her in prison.

Saget told Page Six in October 2020 amid the scandal that he had texted Loughlin, “I love you and thinking of you, that’s all.”

He added, “You know when it gets down to it, there’s so much going on and so many people have gone through so much and you know … if you love somebody then you have to make that, decision and [ask yourself] is this something that causes me not to love a person and I love her. She’s a sweetheart.”

Originally published as Jimmy Kimmel’s emotional tribute to Bob Saget, as police investigate cause of death