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Tim Allen Opens Up About How His Father’s Death Impacted His Life

Everyone’s favorite comedy television dad, Tim Allen, opens up about the more difficult times in his life.

Tim Allen was only 11 years old when his father died. His dad was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. And after that experience, something shifted in Allen. During an interview, Allen shared the way his behavior changed following the death of his father.

“After my old man died, I really just played games with people and told adults what they wanted to hear and then stole their booze,” said Allen.”Really I was Eddie Haskell [from Leave it to Beaver]: ‘Yes, Mrs. Cleaver. No, Mrs. Cleaver.’ I knew exactly what adults wanted — make your bed, be polite, use a napkin — and then I’d go steal everything in the house.”

All of his troubles came to a head when he turned 23 and was sentenced to 2 years and four months in federal prison. Allen said that it was during his time in jail that he started to make goals for himself for the first time in his life. He also added that he learned a very important lesson in life – how to shut up.

“I just shut up and did what I was told,” said Allen. “It was the first time ever I did what I was told and played the game… I learned literally how to live day by day. And I learned how to shut up. You definitely want to learn how to shut up.”

Tim Allen (Photo by Aaron Rapoport/Corbis via Getty Images)

Tim Allen Says He Still Deals With The Same Issues

After 23 years of being sober, Allen said that he still deals with issues from the past. He said that he still feels haunted by his actions from before he got sober.

“I look back on those things, this is sober guy stuff, I had so much shame at the things that I did … especially driving people around,” said Allen. “Coming from a dad that was killed that way, it’s difficult to get past it.”

In true television dad style, Allen dropped some serious wisdom about the mix of both good and bad throughout life.

“I love my life. I’m not any more mentally stable, I have the same issues I had,” he said. “Now, I can’t hide from them.”

Yes, Tim Allen is still finding healthy ways to navigate the mental health struggles he’s dealt with his whole life. However, he’s still grateful for the way his life has turned out.