Courtesy of Candace Cameron Bure/Instagram
Candace Cameron Bure is mourning the death of her father-in-law, former athlete Vladimir Bure.
“Our hearts are broken as we grieve the loss of Val’s dad Vladimir Bure,” the actress, 48, captioned photos of Vladimir — who died at age 73 on Tuesday, September 3 — from over the years via Instagram on Wednesday, September 4. “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.”
Cameron Bure has been married to Vladimir’s son Valeri Bure since 1996. Valeri, 50, is the youngest of Vladimir’s two sons, including fellow hockey player Pavel Bure, with his wife, Tatiana Bure.
Cameron Bure went on to remember Vladimir’s sports career as a “4x Olympic medalist in swimming and a 2x Stanley Cup winning coach for the New Jersey Devils,” adding, “He was a proud father, grandfather, husband and dedicated coach. Most of all, I know how much he loved his family.”
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The Full House alum concluded her tribute by writing, “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.”
Cameron Bure shared more pics of her father-in-law via her Instagram Story on Wednesday, including snaps of Vladimir with an Olympic medal and from her NHL coaching days. “If you knew my father-in-law, trained with him, was under his coaching or knew him as a friend, I’d love to hear about your time with him or a story ,” she captioned the photos.
Valeri Bure and Candace Cameron Bure Vivien Killilea/Getty Images
Cameron Bure’s daughter, Natasha Bure, honored her grandfather in an Instagram Story post of her own. “My incredible Dedushka Rest in peace,” she wrote alongside a pic of Vladimir and her father on Wednesday. “I have infinite love for you and for giving me my Papa.” (Cameron Bure shares Natasha, 26, and sons Lev, 24, and Maksim, 22, with Valeri.)
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Vladimir’s death comes less than one month after Cameron Bure celebrated the 30th anniversary of when she met her husband. “August 18, 2024 marks the 30 year anniversary of the day Val and I met at a charity hockey game ,” she captioned a pic of the couple via Instagram last month. “I wish I had a picture of that day, but here’s one 30 years later to mark the occasion. I love growing old with you, my love .”
Valeri appeared on his wife’s Instagram feed earlier this summer in a slideshow of their family’s Italy vacation. “Dear Italy, we love you ,” Cameron Bure captioned June snaps from their European trip, including one of Valeri kissing her on the cheek.