‘Full House’ Star Candace Cameron Bure Reveals Heartbreaking Death in the Family

Candace Cameron Bure is mourning the loss of her father-in-law, Vladimir Bure. The Full House alum revealed in an emotional tribute on Instagram Wednesday that her husband Valeri Bure’s father recently passed away at the age of 73. According to the NHL, Vladimir died on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

“Our hearts are broken as we grieve the loss of Val’s dad Vladimir Bure,” Bure began the post, which was shared alongside a gallery of images beginning with a photo of Vladimir with his two sons, Pavel Bure and Valeri. “I loved this man so very much. To me, he represented not only the gift of life (my husband) that I am forever grateful for, but one of strength, dedication, motivation, resilience, willpower and love. In my mind, he was the epitome of each of those words, a little bit super human in some way.”

Bure – who shares daughter Natasha, 26, and sons Lev, 24, and Maksim, 22, with her husband, whom she has been married to for 28 years – went on to highlight some of her father-in-law’s many career achievements, sharing that he “was a 4x Olympic medalist in swimming and a 2x Stanley Cup winning coach for the New Jersey Devils.” In the post, she also shared images of Vladimir during one of his swim meets.

Vladimir, who was born and raised in Russia, was a freestyle swimmer who competed for the Soviet Union at the 1968, 1972, and 1976 Olympics. He took home four medals – one at the 1968 Mexico City Games and another three at the 1972 Munich Games, per Match TV. He was also a two-time European champion and a 17-time Soviet champion, as well as a fitness consultant for the New Jersey Devils from 1999 to 2010, during which time he won the Stanley Cup in 2000 and 2003.

In addition to his many career achievements, Bure said Vladimir “was a proud father, grandfather, husband and dedicated coach. Most of all, I know how much he loved his family. Thank you for praying for all of the Bure family as we grieve. We love you Vladimir, and you’ll forever be in our hearts.”

The emotional tribute was met with dozens of messages of condolences from Bure’s Instagram followers, one person writing, “I’m so sorry Candace! Praying for Val & your whole family during this hard time.” Somebody else commented, “So sorry to hear this news Candace.. my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family! Cherish your memories!” Great American Family network said they “are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of your father-in-law, Candace. Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time. Wishing you strength, comfort, and peace as you navigate this loss.”

Among those to pay tribute to Vladimir was also Bure’s daughter, who wrote on her Instagram Stories, “My incredible Dedushka Rest in peace. I have infinite love for you and for giving me my Papa.” Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils said the organization was “saddened to learn of the passing of Vladimir Bure, who spent over a decade with the organization… Our thoughts go out to his family and friends at this time.”