Alan Thicke's cause of death revealed

Los Angeles — 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 13 December 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."

His son, Carter Thicke posted this emotional tribute on Instagram.

Today I lost my best friend and my idol, and the world lost one of it's finest. I have never known a more kind, loving, hairy, and generous person in my life and I am forever grateful for the light that this man brought to my life and so many others. You will be missed every second of every day. You are a legend and I love you Pops. Until next time.

A photo posted by Carter Thicke (@carter_thicke) on Dec 13, 2016 at 8:42pm PST