Patton Oswalt's daughter saved him from alcoholism

Comedian Patton Oswalt said his daughter saved him from being "a shut-in alcoholic" after the death of his wife last year.

The 48-year-old stand-up comic was devastated when his wife

Michelle McNamara

passed away in April last year from a combination of prescription medication and an undiagnosed heart condition.

He said the only reason he has kept himself from turning to drink is because of their eight-year-old daughter

Alice

, reported ContactMusic.

"I'm forever glad that I have Alice. If I hadn't had a daughter and my wife died, we wouldn't be talking right now. I'm not saying I would be dead, but I would be a shut-in alcoholic," Patton said.