Actor Dave Coulier has stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, he revealed in an interview with People, published on Wednesday, November 13.
The Full House alum, 65, is currently undergoing treatment and hopes to be in remission when he completes his chemotherapy in February 2025. After a bone marrow test came back negative, Coulier said the recovery rate for his cancer “went from something low to [the] 90 percent range.”
While he called the diagnosis a “really fast roller coaster ride of a journey,” it’s a process he’s become all-too familiar with.
Coulier’s mother, Arlen, and younger sister, Sharon, both died of cancer and his older sister, Karen, is currently fighting the disease.
“I saw what those women in my family went through, and I thought to myself, ‘If I can be just 1/10th of a percent as strong as they were, then I’m going to be just fine,” Coulier said, adding that he and Karen are leaning on each other as they confront their diagnoses.
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Coulier also brought up his wife of ten years, Melissa Bring, saying, “I’m going to be strong throughout this, not just for me, but I’m going to be strong for her.”
Keep scrolling to meet Coulier’s family, from his wife and sisters to his only son, Luc.
Melissa Bring Coulier
Coulier began dating now-wife Melissa Bring in 2005 before the couple finally tied the knot in 2014. A photographer and producer, Bring now works as a fitness instructor and is the co-founder of Live Well Lead Well, a women’s health organization that encourages “holistic nutrition and movement,” according to its Instagram page.
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The actor credits his wife for helping him stay sober, particularly while he was dealing with the losses of his brother, father, and friend Bob Saget, who all died within a year of each other.
“I couldn’t have a better partner that’s being supportive through all this,” he told E! News.
Jayne Modean
Coulier was married to Jayne Modean from 1990 to 1992, and the two share his only child, son Luc. Modean rose to fame as a model in the 1970s, first as a participant in the Miss Teenage America pageant and later as a cover model for Seventeen magazine, which she appeared on four times in 1977.
Modean was also an actress, appearing with Coulier on Full House in 1990. She landed roles on Cheers and Another World, and had a 13-episode run on the short-lived ABC medical drama Trauma Center in 1983.
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Luc Coulier
Dave and Modean welcomed Luc, their only child, in 1990. Now 34, he is expecting his first child, a son due in March, with his wife, Alex.
Luc works as a pilot for FedEx, embracing what Dave called his “love for aviation.”
“I used to watch airplanes with him at Santa Monica airport and took him for his first flight when he was just a toddler,” Dave recalled in an Instagram post celebrating Luc’s 30th birthday in November 2020.
Arlen Coulier
Dave’s mother, Arlen, died of cancer in 2014.
Full House fans will remember that the first episode of the 2016 spin-off Fuller House featured a title card at the end, dedicating the show’s pilot to Arlen, as well as Carole Franklin, Dolly Saget, and Loretta Stamos — mothers of show creator Jeff Franklin and actors Saget and John Stamos. All four women died within one year of each other.
“There was just an instant support system,” Dave told People in 2016. “I consider those guys my family. We’re just always there for each other. We really made some extraordinary friendships that will last forever.”
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David Coulier
Dave’s father, David, died in 2022 at age 91 near the family’s home in Michigan. In an Instagram post remembering his dad, Dave recalled how he never missed one of his baseball or hockey games, and even after a long day at work, he would take time to play catch with Dave.
“I’ll miss his smile and, at times, his crabby viewpoint about our world,” Dave wrote. “As I held his hand, and with him looking into my eyes, I got to say goodbye to him and say all the thankful things that a son can say to a father.”
Dan Coulier
Dave recalls his brother Dan as “talented beyond belief, incredibly funny, and a sweet, tortured soul,” as he wrote in a 2021 post via Instagram. Dan died by suicide in 2021, weeks before his 59th birthday.
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Sharon Coulier
Dave’s younger sister, Sharon, died of breast cancer in 1992. The actor recalled how then-girlfriend Alanis Morisette drove to Detroit to be by her side in the hospital.
“She actually drove to Detroit with her guitar and sat with my sister playing songs and singing to my sister in the hospital,” he recalled to People in 2022. “That’s the kind of human being she is. So I’ve never had anything bad to say about her. She’s lovely.”
Karen Coulier
Karen, Dave’s older sister, is fighting her own cancer battle at the moment. As the siblings support each other, Dave said his sister’s humor has been a source of support.
“My sister was a registered nurse, and so she’s seen this from different optics than I have. She’s been so supportive and she’s funny,” he said. “So we’re making jokes about this. One of my jokes is in four short weeks I’ve gone from a Virgo to a Cancer. I’m a huge hockey fan. So when they said ‘You’ve got NHL,’ I thought, ‘I finally made it to the NHL.’”
