Patton Oswalt shares a special bond with his 8-year-old daughter, Alice, one that intensified following the sudden death of Oswalts wife , Michelle McNamara, in 2016.

In a new interview with Playboy , the comedian revealed the crucial role his daughter played in helping with his healing.

This is going to sound selfish, but Im forever glad that I have Alice, he told the magazine. If I hadnt had a daughter and my wife died, we wouldnt be talking right now. Im not saying I would be dead, but I would be a shut-in alcoholic.

Knowing he had to take care of his daughter kept Oswalt from plumbing the very depths of his grief.

With Alice, it was and is You got to get up, he continued. There are mornings when were late to school because Im sad, but Ive still fucking got to get up. A night when Ive had maybe one scotch with some friends, Ill say, Thats it. Ive got to take her to school tomorrow.

The comedian told Playboy that Alice attends a grief group for children called Our House. He also explained how he managed being a single father immediately following McNamaras death.

There were times when she was a little kid in a house with a father who was sort of shut down and having trouble talking, he said. There were times when I had to get her to play a game on her iPad or start a little project, and then I would say, Oh, let me go upstairs, and I would go put my head in a pillow and just scream and cry because I didnt want to break down in front of her.