Pamela Bach-Hasselhoff, Andrea Canning. Photo:
Paul Archuleta/Getty; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
“She wasn’t the Pamela I knew,” Canning said of the last time she saw her friend, who she remembered as someone who was “kinder and kinder” over the years
Pamela Bach-Hasselhoff is being remembered by her family’s former nanny and assistant — Dateline‘s Andrea Canning.
Speaking with us after the actress was found dead in her Los Angeles home on Wednesday, March 5, at age 62, Canning reflected on her fond memories of Pamela, whose death was later ruled a suicide by the Los Angeles Medical Examiner.
Pamela — who was married to David Hasselhoff from 1989 to 2006 and shares daughters Taylor and Hayley with the star — first met Canning in 1995, when the journalist was an intern at Baywatch.
The pair soon “became friends,” Canning tells PEOPLE, and she went on to stay with the family at their Sherman Oaks home as an assistant taking care of their kids, prompting a bond of 30 years. Now, Pamela’s death, Canning explains, was “not something that I was expecting.”
According to Canning, Pamela had “struggled” following a 2003 motorcycle crash she and ex David, 72, were involved in. Pamela’s longtime friend and former rep Terry Ahern previously said the incident left her “in the hospital with a broken neck and back,” before she began to deal with arthritis.
“The last time I saw her, she was walking with a cane. She wasn’t the Pamela I knew,” Canning says. “She was just having difficulty getting around. It took a toll on her, that accident.”
Finances were also a “concern” for Pamela, Canning explains, detailing that the two would often discuss “money issues.”
“There were times where she’s like, ‘I’m going to be homeless. I’ve got to get out of this house,’ which never happened. She would say it was going to happen, and then it didn’t. And I don’t know how she ended up staying there. I don’t know how she kept her bills paid, because she was always saying that, ‘What am I going to do,'” Canning says.
Still, despite her struggles, Pamela became “kinder and kinder” over the years, Canning states, noting that Pamela would send her messages whenever she received Canning’s Christmas cards, telling her how “proud” she was of her former assistant having a family and career successes.
“She definitely had troubles, but she also had a really positive outlook on life as well,” Canning tells PEOPLE. “And it’s funny — the longer I got to know her, the nicer she became.”
She adds, “It was like every year that went by, she just got kinder and kinder. I don’t know what changed, I don’t know.”
Pamela Bach-Hasselhoff at the Universal Hilton Hotel on Feb. 9, 2020.
Amy Graves/Getty
For “anyone who loves her,” Canning adds that she hopes they remember Pamela as “the sunny cheerleader” in life.
“Great style, beautiful, fun — all of that stuff. I mean, that’s how I think of her,” Canning says. “That’s how I remember her. That’s who I want to remember, is that positive Pamela that put a smile on your face.”
“She was kind of the life of the party when she walked into a room. She was just outgoing and would talk to anybody. And her laugh, I mean, she really had an infectious laugh,” she adds. “And I think there were two sides to her, is what I would say. There’s that side that everything was always put together and she seemed like she had it all, and then there was that later in life side that was troubled and looking for direction.”
Canning shared a tribute to her late friend on Instagram on Saturday, March 8, posting a photo of herself with Pamela and David at a Broadway production in 2001.
“She led a complicated life but she loved her girls more than anything in this world and was always so encouraging and positive when it came to our friendship that endured 30 years,” she wrote in her caption. “I had no idea how much pain she was in. RIP Pamela Hasselhoff we will miss you. ❤️.”
Beyond Canning, others have reflected on Pamela’s life and legacy, with Ahern, her longtime friend who worked as her representative for several years, telling us that she was “the kindest person you’d ever meet.”
David also shared a statement with us following the news of his ex-wife’s death, stating that the family was “deeply saddened” by the loss.
“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time but we kindly request privacy as we grieve and navigate through this challenging time,” he added.
