Bob Saget's College Classmate Remembers Late Full House Actor as a True 'Family Guy'

Bob Saget epitomized the definition of a family man when he played Danny Tanner on Full House — and that fatherly role also carried into his real-life relationships with the cast, according to his college friend.

Bruce Hamilton, who attended Temple University in Philadelphia with Saget, tells PEOPLE that the beloved actor — who died Sunday at the age of 65 — never hesitated when it came to prioritizing his loved ones.

"He was a family guy," says Hamilton, who currently works as a news anchor for WJXT, a news station in Jacksonville, Florida. "He put his family first."

Saget is survived by his wife Kelly Rizzo and shares three daughters — Aubrey, 34, Lara, 32, and Jennifer, 29 — with his ex-wife Sherri Kramer.

Hamilton says the late actor also valued his relationships with his on-screen children, including his Full House daughters, Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

"During his years on Full House, Mary Kate and Ashley, they weren't just his TV kids," Hamilton explains. "They would come over to his house and play with his children. And they — right up to the time he passed — remained very close to him."

Saget's college friend continues, "He helped raise them, and some of the other people on the show, as well. He didn't have an ego. He wasn't Hollywood. He was very grounded."

News4Jax Bob Saget with Bruce Hamilton

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Just days before Saget's death, Hamilton had reconnected with Saget for an interview on WJXT, during which they chatted about their college days and what ended up being the comedian's final show in Ponte Vedra Beach, outside of Jacksonville.

"We hadn't connected in a lot of years, quite frankly, until I did the interview with him last Thursday," Hamilton explains. "Even though so many years had gone by... I think that it was meant to be that we got to reunite, even though it was via Zoom."

Hamilton says he and Saget previously wanted to get together, but were unable to due to Saget's "quick turnaround" and the news anchor's plans for his daughter's 17th birthday.

Before ending their interview, the friends vowed to make "definitive plans to get together" later this month when the comedian had scheduled shows in West Palm Beach.

"I just can't believe that that's not going to happen now," Hamilton says. "When I heard the news, I broke down like a baby because when we picked up our chat, it was like no time had gone by."

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"I was just shocked beyond belief," he adds. "Even right now, I don't want to believe it. I know that he was so happy to be back on the road, so happy to be doing stand up, so happy to be testing his material because he had a comedy special in the works. And he'd been doing a podcast, but hadn't been on the road because of COVID realities. So it was his dream to be back in front of a live audience. And to have that cut short is just devastating."

Saget was found dead in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando on Sunday, just one day after performing stand-up at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall.

The star's family confirmed his death in a statement, sharing how "devastated" they were by his passing.

"He was everything to us and we want you to know how much he loved his fans, performing live and bringing people from all walks of life together with laughter," the family statement read. "Though we ask for privacy at this time, we invite you to join us in remembering the love and laughter that Bob brought to the world."

In the wake of the news, the cast of Full House — including Cameron Bure, Sweetin, the Olsens, John Stamos, Dave Coulier, Lori Loughlin, Andrea Barber, Scott Weinger and series creator Jeff Franklin — paid tribute to Saget in a joint statement posted on Instagram.

"Thirty-five years ago, we came together as a TV family, but we became a real family. And now we grieve as a family," the joint statement read. "Bob made us laugh until we cried. Now our tears flow in sadness, but also with gratitude for all the beautiful memories of our sweet, kind, hilarious, cherished Bob."

Dave Coulier/Instagram The cast of Full House

The group's statement continued, "He was a brother to us guys, a father to us girls and a friend to all of us. Bob, we love you dearly. We ask in Bob's honor, hug the people you love. No one gave better hugs than Bob."

Saget's Fuller House costars also paid tribute, calling the late actor "the true patriarch of Fuller House."

"He was such a wonderful and kind man," Elias Harger, who played Danny Tanner's grandson Max, wrote in his post, in part. "Even though I was new to the Full House/Fuller House family, he welcomed me and the other kids with open arms."

"He will always be my Grandpa Danny," he continued. "I will miss him a lot. I'm literally in shock."

"Bob was a man of humor and of character but most importantly, he was a man of compassion and kindness," added Soni Nicole Bringas, who played Ramona, the daughter of Kimmy Gibbler. "To have worked with someone so loved by his friends, coworkers, and the world was truly an honor."