Stars From How I Met Your Mother You Didn't Know Died

As one of the most beloved sitcoms in recent history, "How I Met Your Mother" was legen — wait for it — dary. The CBS hit, which began in 2005 and reached its conclusion in 2014, introduced audiences to Ted Moseby (Josh Radnor), a man who decided to tell his children the rather long-winded story of how he met their mother. Luckily for us, Ted and his best friends Marshall (Jason Segel), Lily (Alyson Hannigan), Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), and Robin (Colbie Smulders) had a penchant for crazy adventures, quirky inside jokes, and regular New York City debauchery. The show was so successful, it even inspired a Hulu sequel series called "How I Met Your Father" starring Hilary Duff.

While the show centered on Ted's quest for love, it was also a story of how both romantic and platonic relationships change over time, with moments of ecstasy, sadness, and loss intermingled. Over the past few years, a lot of life has happened for the characters' real-life counterparts. There have been marriages, children, and sadly, some of the show's most memorable actors have passed. These are stars from "How I Met Your Mother" you didn't know died.

Ron Nicolosi portrayed the hilarious and lackadaisical cameraman on Robin's morning show "Come On, Get Up New York!" The Massachusetts-born actor, who also appeared in projects like "Echos of Enlightenment" and "Truth Be Told," appeared in ten "How I Met Your Mother" episodes throughout the series' run.

According to his obituary, Nicolosi died at 62 years old due to health complications on July 28, 2020. His family remembered his "big smile and contagious laugh," and celebrated the fact that he followed his dreams. "Someone once told me that acting is a dirty word ... that it should never be used," Nicolosi was credited with saying. "On the contrary, I've played a lot of characters over the years and the best one was ME." 

"HIMYM" co-creator Craig Thomas took to Twitter to remember the late actor after his passing, writing, "[He was] a gentle soul gone too young." Series star Josh Radner also eulogized the Nicolosi, tweeting, "A huge part of #HIMYM. A delightful, warm, kind-hearted person with a great laugh and killer Boston accent. He will be missed."

Although his role was uncredited, Bob Saget was the thread that tied the narrative of "How I Met Your Mother" together: he was the voice of the older Ted Moseby recounting the story to his kids. The part was just another one of Saget's many iconic characters. While he was known for his raunchy onstage humor as a stand-up comedian, he also had a wholesome side as America's favorite father Danny Tanner on "Full House" and its spinoff "Fuller House." He also served as the host for "America's Funniest Home Videos" from 1989 to 1997.

Saget died on January 9, 2022, at the age of 65. According to Variety, he was found "unresponsive in a hotel room" in Orlando, Florida, where he was visiting while on tour. As of this writing, his cause of death has not been determined, however authorities "did not find any signs of foul play or drug use." The loving father and funny guy was well remembered by his co-stars, including "How I Met Your Mother"s Josh Radnor, who shared on Twitter that the two remained close even after the series wrapped. "He was the kindest, loveliest, funniest, most supportive man," Radnor wrote. "I'm endlessly grateful that 'HIMYM' brought Bob Saget into my life. I'll hear his voice in my head for the rest of my days."

Alan Thicke was a bona fide legend in the world of TV, so it's only fitting that he played himself in four episodes of "How I Met Your Mother," as well as Robin's father in the video for her '80s alter ego's track "Sandcastles in the Sand." The Ontario-born actor's Canadian heritage played well alongside Robin — who happened to know him thanks to her Canadian pop star days — and was otherwise frequently roasted by her other friends for her Canada pride. 

Outside of "HIMYM," he was best known for his role as Dr. Jason Seaver in the highly successful family sitcom "Growing Pains," which even scored him a Golden Globes nomination in 1988. He also appeared in shows like "Married... With Children," "JPod," "The Bold and the Beautiful," as well as "Fuller House." He was equally talented behind the scenes as he was in front of the camera, working as a composer for shows like "Diff'rent Strokes" and "The Facts of Life," as well as writing for "The Barry Manilow Special" and "America 2Night," both of which earned him Emmy nominations. 

Alan Thicke died at 69 years old on December 13, 2016, after having a heart attack, according to the Los Angeles Times. His son Robin Thicke told The Times that his father was "the greatest man [he] ever met."

TV icon Regis Philbin portrayed himself in the hilarious "How I Met Your Mother" episode "The Best Burger in New York," in which Marshall leads the gang on a search through New York in an attempt to locate the best burger he's ever had... from an eatery he cannot remember. He does, however, recall an autographed photo of Regis Philbin on the wall, and they track him down at the gym in hopes of locating the spot. While Regis does not remember its name, he does join the crew in their hunt. 

Philbin's cameo was a small piece of his incredible onscreen legacy. In fact, he even once held the Guinness World Record for "the person with the most hours on TV," per Today. The hard working television personality was known for hosting ABC's "Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee" — later with Kelly Ripa — as well as "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and "Million Dollar Password." 

On July 24, 2020, Philbin died at 88 of natural causes, according to USA Today, with a medical official reporting he passed from "myocardial infarction due to coronary artery disease and hypertension." Kelly Ripa, who worked alongside Philbin for 11 years, said it best on an episode "Live with Kelly and Ryan": "They don't make them like Regis anymore. ... The work ethic and the storytelling ability. He could tell a story like nobody else."

Alex Trebek was one of America's most beloved game show personalities, so it only makes sense that he appeared as himself and hosted the fictional series "Million Dollar Heads or Tails" in "How I Met Your Mother" Season 8 episode "P.S. I Love You." In the real world, the "Jeopardy!" host received a Guinness World Record for most game show episodes hosted by the same presenter after hosting over 8,000 episodes. Trebek won eight Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host for the series and also hosted programs like "The Wizard of Odds," "Double Dare," and "To Tell the Truth."

In 2019, Trebek told the world that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. "Now normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I'm going to fight this, and I'm going to keep working," he said. And keep working is what he did. A year later, Trebek gave fans an update. "Now I'd be lying if I said the journey had been an easy one," he shared. "If we take it just one day at a time, with a positive attitude, anything is possible."

In his 2020 memoir "The Answer Is...," he wrote, "One thing they're not going to say at my funeral as part of my eulogy is 'He was taken from us too soon.' I've lived a good, full life, and I'm nearing the end of it. I know that." Trebek passed on November 8, 2020, at 80.

"How I Met Your Mother" stood out from the pack for its quirky visual gags and recurring jokes, including Barney and Marshall's slap bet, which reared its head in the 2007 episode "Slapsgiving." In that episode, Ted's fixated on Robin's new boyfriend, Bob, portrayed by Orson Bean. While Bob appears to be an octogenarian in Ted's eyes, he's actually in his 40s. Bean portrayed Bob the way that Ted saw him... even if it wasn't quite accurate. 

A staple on "The Tonight Show" and "To Tell the Truth," Bean was a veteran of the stage and screen who appeared in feature films like "Being John Malkovich." Born Dallas Burrows, he landed on his nom de theatre after a bit of crowdsourcing. "One night in a club in Boston, I tried the name Roger Duck. No laughs," he once recalled to The Hollywood Reporter. "The next night, I tried Orson Bean, putting together a pompous first name and a silly second name. I got laughs, so I decided to keep it."

On February 7, 2020, he died at 91 years old after a car hit him in Los Angeles, according to The New York Times. The outlet remembered him as a "free-spirited" performer known for his comedy and his not-so-Hollywood lifestyle. As he shared in a piece for The New York Times in 1977, he and his family entered their "late hippy stage." He stepped away from show business, moved his wife and kids to Australia, and "gave away almost everything we owned."

One of the most hilarious references in "How I Met Your Mother" is "The Bro Code," which the notorious Barney Stinson swears by. In Season 3 episode "The Goat," he reveals the air-tight document was written by his distant ancestor Baranbus Stinson in the 18th century when historical figures like George Washington and Ben Franklin were too busy crafting the Constitution. In a flashback, storied actor Ian Abercrombie took on Franklin, who apparently commissioned Barney's relative to write the very necessary treatise.

Abercrombie began his career in theater, and after dominating the stage in the UK, found a successful career in voice acting, portraying roles like Chancellor Palpatine and Ganthet in shows like "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "Green Lantern: The Animated Series," respectively. He wasn't a one-trick pony, however, and his other memorable roles included Headmaster Crumbs in "Wizards of Waverly Place," and Mr. Pitt, Elaine's odd and burdensome boss on "Seinfeld." Although his career didn't take him to leading-man status, Abercrombie was happy to be a working actor. "I always remember looking out for the supporting character actors. They seemed to be far more interesting to me than the stars," he once told a reporter, per BBC News.

He died on January 26, 2012, at 77 years old due to kidney failure, according to the Los Angeles Times, however his legacy as "Star Wars"s Palpatine lived on, and his voice continued to appear in episodes after his passing, per ScreenRant.

Peter Bogdanovich played himself at a hoity-toity party that Ted weaseled his way into in "How I Met Your Mother" Season 5 episode "Robots Versus Wrestlers." Considering his impressive legacy it was a perfectly suitable role for the director, actor, producer, and historian. In a recap of the episode, The Atlantic had but one critique: "I was only disappointed that we didn't get to see more of Bogdanovich.

His first big success as a director came with 1971's "The Last Picture Show," which scored eight Academy Awards nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture. He also directed hits like "What's Up, Doc?" and "Paper Moon," with The Washington Post calling him a "vanguard of New Hollywood filmmakers who helped reinvigorate American cinema." According to the outlet, fellow film giant Martin Scorsese once said, "No one makes old movies better than Bogdanovich."

Bogdanovich's last role was in the 2021 short film "Nightwalker." On January 6, 2022, he died at 82 years old from complications caused by Parkinson's disease, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

William Schallert had a small role as Brady in "Columns." The classic "How I Met Your Mother" episode blessed us with one of the show's silliest and shocking gags: a nude painting of Marshall that Lily composed in college. A cameo on the sitcom was hardly Schallert's only TV credit, though. According to The New York Times, he was nearly everywhere throughout his 60 years in entertainment, including "Leave It to Beaver," "The Twilight Zone," "Melrose Place," and "Desperate Housewives." His biggest role, however, was the father of Patty Lane and Cathy Lane on "The Patty Duke Show."

When the Television Academy asked him why he believed his "Patty Duke Show" character "resonated" with viewers, he replied, "I was a nice father, a nice dad, and I was working with Patty Duke ... she was somebody to be reckoned with." He added, "And, you know, my personality was okay."

Although Schallert's career never quite ascended to the echelons, he was happy to make his living as an actor, telling The Times, "I've never been single-minded in my pursuit of acting as a career. Whatever it was that got me hired and kept me working probably was just me." On May 8, 2016, he died at 93 years old, however a cause of death was not revealed, per the outlet.

Barney and Robin's wedding brought out all their craziest relatives in "How I Met Your Mother" Season 9 episode "Last Time in New York," including Uncle Mort, portrayed by Lou Cutell. The seasoned actor appeared in a number of films through his lengthy career, including "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids," "Wedding Crashers," "Little Big Man," and "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure," in which he portrayed The Amazing Larry. In 2015, he made a guest appearance as Abe on "Grey's Anatomy," a role that would end up being his last onscreen credit.

On November 21, 2021, he died at 91. According to The Hollywood Reporter, his cause of death was not made publicly available. After his passing, he was remembered by Paul Rebens in a post on Twitter, with his "Pee-Wee" co-star calling him "sweet, caring, and unassuming." Ever the optimist, Cutell told Clyde Fitch Report that he's seen the world of acting reach new heights. "I think there are more wonderful actors today than ever before," he told the outlet. "Our generation learned from seeing plays and going to the movies."

Pat Crawford Brown had a small role in "How I Met Your Mother" Season 3 episode "Three Days of Snow," sitting next to Lily on a plane as she tries to grapple with whether or not her longstanding tradition of surprising Marshall with beer at the airport is truly over or not. It's an adorable story for the sitcom's cutest couple, but it's no surprise Brown's Thelma ran away with the episode; the storied actor had a long history of scene-stealing roles in projects like "Desperate Housewives," "Reality Bites," "Norbit," and "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion." 

Before she made her mark in Hollywood, Brown pursued an entirely different line of work. Per her obituary, she worked as a high school English teacher for two decades, but following "her teaching retirement, she returned to her first love." Her "first love" was, but of course, acting. Clearly, that move worked out rather well for her, as she racked up over 150 credits between 1985 and 2012. On July 2, 2019, she "passed peacefully" following "a long illness" and was survived by her daughter, two grandsons, and six great grandchildren, per her obituary.