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John Ritter Dies
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Posted by: EchoBravo

quote:
Actor John Ritter, star of "8 Simple Rules'', dies

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor John Ritter, who
gained fame playing bumbling and lovable characters in a pair
of television comedies decades apart, has died, a
representative said Friday.

Ritter was best known for his portrayal of Jack in the
1970s situation comedy ``Three's Company'' and recently he
starred in the series ``8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage
Daughter,'' a centerpiece of broadcaster ABC's upcoming fall
schedule.

John Ritter was the son of country singer and actor Tex
Ritter. Details of the circumstances of his death were not
immediately available.

REUTERS 09-12-2003 04:07:21

Never saw "8 Simple Rules," as I've outgrown sitcoms, but "Three's Company" is a classic from the teen years. Too bad.

Posted by: jones07

Sad to hear this news :(

Posted by: Spire

Oh man. I love John Ritter. He was one of a kind.

Aside from his genius work in comedies like Three's Company, he was very memorable to me in his dramatic roles, including the work he did on Hooperman, Sling Blade, and Felicity.

Does anyone know any details on the cause of his death? I've looked at several online news sites, and can't find any stories at all on it. Perhaps in the next few hours more information will surface.

Posted by: jasonl99

This is so sad :(.

Posted by: Spire

Information is starting to appear on the news sites.

I am also watching CNN (on TV), which has just reported that he died of a massive heart attack.

Posted by: trojanrabbit

Latest radio report says he died of a heart attack.

:(

Posted by: Dusty

:eek:

:( :( :(

Posted by: Spire

And just five days short of his 55th birthday.

CNN has added that apparently he had an unspecified long-standing heart condition that contributed to the heart failure. He made it to the hospital, but doctors were unable to save him.

Posted by: jasonl99

Here's some biographical info from ABC

quote:

A native of Los Angeles, John Ritter is the youngest son of Western film star and country music legend Tex Ritter. He graduated from Hollywood High School, where he was Student Body President, and from the University of Southern California with a BFA degree in Drama.

John came to national prominence as the star of television's long-running hit comedy series Three's Company, which earned him Emmy, Golden Globe and People's Choice awards for his role as Jack Tripper. He returned to series television in Hooperman, receiving Emmy and Golden Globe nominations and winning a People's Choice Award. He then starred in the comedy series Hearts Afire, which ran from 1992 through 1995.

John has starred in more than 25 television movies, including Unnatural Causes, which earned him an Emmy nomination for Best Actor, Stephen King's It, The Dreamer of Oz, The Only Way Out, Unforgivable and A Child's Wish — featuring a special appearance by President Clinton.

He has guest starred on many popular television series and earned an Emmy nomination for his appearance on Ally McBeal. He can presently be heard every day as the voice of Clifford, the Big Red Dog on the popular PBS animated series, a role which has earned him two Emmy nominations.

John's motion picture credits include Peter Bogdanovich's They All Laughed and Noises Off, Blake Edwards' Skin Deep, Problem Child, Sling Blade and Panic. He most recently co-starred with Sigourney Weaver in Tadpole.

He has appeared in more than 50 plays all over the country and recently completed a nine-month starring role in the Broadway premiere of Neil Simon's The Dinner Party, which won a Theatre World Award and the 2001 Outer Critics Circle Award. John returned to the Los Angeles stage in March, starring in J for J in a six-week run at the Court Theatre.

Posted by: Spire

MSNBC story; CNN story. Cause of death was a preexisting but previously undetected condition called "dissection of the aorta".

Posted by: Dromomaniac

CNN reports that dissection of the aorta is cause of death. CNN reports the condition is undetectable.

So young! :(

Posted by: VinceA

This is so sad. He will be missed....

Posted by: Spire

New from CNN (TV): He collapsed while taping an episode of his TV show, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, and was rushed to the hospital from there. That must have been very traumatic for everyone on the set.

I didn't even know that TV shows were taped in the middle of the night -- especially sitcoms. How in the world do they find a studio audience that not only is willing to sit through marathon tapings at three in the morning, but also manages to laugh reliably on cue?

Posted by: Dromomaniac

Just speculating, but tapings often occur in the late evening, and can run late into the night. It's not unlikely that his death happened several hours ago or even last night.

Posted by: dphelps1

I woke to this news this morning, and like many of you I'm really crushed by Mr. Ritter's passing. I grew up watching Three's Company - and this truly feels like the passing of a friend. :(

Posted by: Xaa

WOW!!!!

Just wow. :(

Xaa

Posted by: disco

:(

Posted by: Todd

Unbelievable! :(

Posted by: Tpfer

Sad. RIP!!

Threes Company was my favorite and first TV show I got hooked on when I moved to the US. There was nothing like it in England.

Posted by: brahamt

This news was so shocking, I thought it was a cruel hoax. I am truly saddened.

Edit: Unfortunately, his mother seems to be still alive, so a double tragedy.

Posted by: KLB

Damn.

I was sad to see Johnny Cash pass on but was not too surprised because he'd been ill for so long and recently lost his wife----

Ritter is a total shock. Unbelievable.

Posted by: zyzzx

This sucks! :( He'll be missed.

Posted by: Dromomaniac

quote:
Originally posted by Spire
And just five days short of his 55th birthday.

Coincidentally, Ritter's wife, Amy Yasbeck, has a birthday today. She turns 40. :(

Posted by: kramerboy

Holy Cow

John Ritter will be missed........

:(

Posted by: TampaThunder

One of the very few guest stars on Buffy. "Ted" will be missed.

Posted by: KLB

What is also truly sad is that they mentioned on one news report is that his daughter just turned 5 yesterday.

Posted by: EchoBravo

quote:
Coincidentally, Ritter's wife, Amy Yasbeck, has a birthday today. She turns 40.

+

What is also truly sad is that they mentioned on one news report is that his daughter just turned 5 yesterday.

My wife & I lost our two-month-old daughter on my wife's 30th birthday. The cruelty of such things is unfathomable. God bless Mr. Ritter's family.

Posted by: keefer37

Didn't he also play JD's father on Scrubs in an episode or two?

Posted by: disco

Yes, he did...:(

Posted by: BeanMeScot

8 Rules was actually a good sitcom. A good sitcom comeback after all these years. I only record 2 sitcoms; 8 Rules and Scrubs. He will be missed. I wonder if they will recast?

Posted by: JEbbesen

He's making them laugh in Heaven. Really sad, I’ll miss him.

Posted by: Dafaso

So sad. :(

Posted by: scottjf8

Unfreakingbelieveable

I loved Three's Co, and last year, I thought 8 Simple Rules was one of the only good new shows on TV.

Posted by: dslunceford

This blows....felt good that he had a decent success again with 8 Simple Rules...

Wonder if ABC will air any of the completed episodes from Season 2 or simply let the show fade? Don't know which I'd prefer or which would be more respectful...

Posted by: Redleg

I think they'll probably run the episodes... #1 it's a major investment, and #2 it would be a waste to let his last work go unseen.

But what their longer term plans for the show would be is hard to speculate. The days of the "replacement" actor a la Darren are past, I think. And given the show's premise, it could be hard to write-in a new lead character. I have to think the show will suffer the loss of Ritter's light touch.

Posted by: Steveknj

quote:
Originally posted by Redleg
I think they'll probably run the episodes... #1 it's a major investment, and #2 it would be a waste to let his last work go unseen.

But what their longer term plans for the show would be is hard to speculate. The days of the "replacement" actor a la Darren are past, I think. And given the show's premise, it could be hard to write-in a new lead character. I have to think the show will suffer the loss of Ritter's light touch.

I liked the show too. I think because the main premise of the show was the interaction between Ritter's charachter and his two teenage daughters, it wouldn't work without him. So I predict the show will die. I'll bet they show whatever episodes they have in the can already, then replace the show. I think a smart move would be to run some classic Three's Company episodes in that slot until January when the midseason replacements hit.

Posted by: njtaz

This is a total shock. I did a double take when I read this post thinking maybe it was someone else. I just saw him recently on some talk shows. This is very sad. I still watch Threes company an excellent show.

Posted by: psharman

quote:
Originally posted by Tpfer
Sad. RIP!!

Threes Company was my favorite and first TV show I got hooked on when I moved to the US. There was nothing like it in England.

Actually Tpfer, it was based on a British show called Man About the House (most 70's hit sitcoms were based on British shows).

Sorry to take it off topic. That's too short of a life for anyone. He had 4 kids too.

Posted by: LlamaLarry

Yeah, when the radio kicked on this morning I half listened and heard something about someone from "Three's Company" passing and figured that it was Don Knotts (not that I was gunning for him or something). When the news re-rolled around and I heard it was John Ritter I sat right up and woke up my wife.

He will definitely be missed, such a funny and talented guy and way too young of an age. And if I hear a Heart Check America ad pulling this into one of their promos as something they can detect I will be super pissed.

TampaThunder, good call on the Buffy guest role, Ted was a classic.

Posted by: ClutchBrake

I had a friend who died because of an aortic dissection. It was two years ago. We spent all day together and when he went home for supper he passed out. He died shortly after. 42 years old and in otherwise perfect health.

Posted by: ccouger

What is an aortic dissection, and why isn't it something that would be detected by a doctor? Are there no symptoms for that type of condition? I know actors have to have insurance if they're in bad health, but it sounds like this was something no one knew he had, and he didn't even know about it. Is it caused by an accident, or is it something you're born with?

So sad, I wasn't even a big fan of his, but he was in the middle of his life and had young children. I feel sorrow for his family. They should just cancel this show, it wouldn't work as a single mom (single mom life is NEVER funny, it's too much stress!).

Posted by: KLB

as I understand it, it's like an anurism.

The aorta sort of splits on the inside and blood just starts pouring into the gap and into the rest of the chest and away from the heart.

From everything thing I read and from what my wife (doctor) tells me, to her knowledge there's no way they could have spotted it unless they were doing some sort of heart surgery on him and noticed something.

It's, more or less, a heart defect of the kind that that could have stayed inert his entire life or blown when he was 20--- I did read that hypertension can bring it on.

Posted by: muoldaar

Soooo sad! Three's Company has got to be one of my all-time favorite TV shows. John Ritter, thanks for all the memories, and may you rest in peace!

Posted by: TiVaholic

:( :( :( :(

In the library this morning, someone mentioned that someone from Three's Company died, then in Spanish, someone told me "the guy from 8 Simple Rules died". It was then I made the connection :( It was the end of class, so I asked the teacher to check the web, and yeah... So sad...my favorite half hour show.

Posted by: grecorj

I have mixed feelings about ABC running any completed episodes of 8 Simple Rules...on the one hand, I don't think ABC should profit from his untimely death (ie, publicity)...on the other hand, it would be a fitting tribute to show the remaining episodes and then take it off the air.

Posted by: HeatherA

quote:
Originally posted by grecorj
I have mixed feelings about ABC running any completed episodes of 8 Simple Rules...on the one hand, I don't think ABC should profit from his untimely death (ie, publicity)...on the other hand, it would be a fitting tribute to show the remaining episodes and then take it off the air.

The problem is that this sitcom is one of ABC's most successful from last year. I fear that they will air the completed episodes and re-write the show trying to keep it on the air. It brings in too many advertising dollars for them to kill it prior to the ratings dropping.

I will miss John Ritter. He was one of my all time favorite actors and I've been shedding tears for him and his family all day since awaking to the news. :(

Posted by: uncdrew

Ugh. I suppose we'll all see him at the Regal Beagle in the sky.

Three's Company was good stuff, and so was Mr. Ritter.

Posted by: Graymalkin

I can see them hiring Will Ferrell to play John's brother, "Uncle Willy"...

Posted by: mbcook

I really liked "8 Simple Rules," it was one of the best sitcoms to come around in quite a while.

:(

(Why isn't there a crying "smiley" face?)

As for running the show still, I don't blame them for continuing to run the already filmed episodes, I don't think they should have to sit on those just because he died. I'd like to see new episodes. That said, I don't think that (and I REALLY HOPE that) ABC is dumb enough to try to put in a new actor to replace him or somehow try to write his character out of it. I don't see how that could be anything but a disaster.

Posted by: scottjf8

I heard tonight from a family member that they plan on showing the first 3 episodes, while deciding what to do.

I think they will continue with the show, bringing in someone to be the "uncle" type of character (just no John Goodman!)

Posted by: Gunnyman2k3

I can't think of any actor out there who can fill Ritter's shoes.
It's like Newsradio without Phil Hartman.

Or Valerie's Family with Sandy Duncan...
Being that they are a TV Network, they will try however and ruin the memory of a really funny show.

Posted by: Dromomaniac

quote:
The day after John Ritter was buried, his TV show wasn't.

Less than 24 hours after the beloved prime-time star was laid to rest in Los Angeles, ABC announced Ritter's 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter would continue minus its signature star, whose role will not be recast.

"Obviously, it's been a very difficult few days...[But] we decided that we are going to go forward with the show," ABC Entertainment Television Group chair Lloyd Braun told reporters in an afternoon telephone conference call.

...

Ritter completed three episodes before taking ill last Thursday, a day before taping the fourth. The 54-year-old Emmy-winner died Thursday night of what's believed to be a congentital heart defect.

The three Ritter episodes, featuring special intros from the surviving cast members, will air in order beginning with next week's year-two opener. After, the show will go into reruns in its Tuesday time slot until a revamped, reworked sitcom is ready to air.

What that revamped, reworked sitcom will look like remains to be seen, and more precisely, to be written. About the only details ABC execs were sure of was that Ritter's befuddled father figure would be not recast, and that the show's title would not be changed, even if the "my" in 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, referred to Ritter's character.

"8 Simple Rules..." to Live On

Posted by: mbcook

OK, I take it back. The network executives WERE too stupid. I'm here-by giving out 95:1 odds that the show will be terrible after the reworking.

Bye bye, good show.

Posted by: LoadStar

Agreed. This is just network exec greed, plain and simple.

There is NO excuse for continuing this show. It was John's show. I realize there was a whole cast of other actors and actresses who were quite talent, and this is not to slight them in the least. But this show was all about the dad and how he reacted to his teenage kids. (The book that the series is loosely based on was written by a very similar father.) Additionally, this was John's return to prominence on network TV.

I think they should've picked a night sometime to show a half-hour "Remembering John Ritter" documentary, then as a tribute, show the last 3 episodes of 8 Simple Rules. This would fill out a 2 hour block and leave the last hour for additional programming. Then, let the series go.

RIP, John.

Posted by: smak

Well, at the least, the title is totally wrong now, because it's going to be a show about how a family deals with the tragic death of the dad, and the show is titled 8 simple rules for dating my teenage daughter.

weird.

-smak-

Posted by: disco

Damn network execs...I was VERY upset when I heard this while watching the "Lifetime of Laughter" special on ABC last night...:down::down::down:

Posted by: dphelps1

I have to go on record as saying that I never watched "8 Rules".

That being said, I don't think this show should go on as a sitcom, however, I think it would be interesting if they revamp the show completely into a one hour family drama series about a single mom trying to raise three children after the unexpected death of their father. Nothing new or unique about the premise, but the fact that all of America knows the real story behind what happened could make it interesting.

The ABC special was very well done last night. A fitting tribute for a talented and truly likable person. The cast and crew really looked like they lost a member of their family. You could tell that Mr. Ritter had truly touched many of their lives.

Posted by: RMBittner

quote:
Originally posted by LoadStar
There is NO excuse for continuing this show.

I've never seen "8 Simple Rules..." but "there is NO excuse for continuing this show"? Really? What about the fact that possibly 100 people depend on that show for their livelihood? Wendy's didn't close up shop when Dave Thomas died. Microsoft certainly won't shut its doors when Bill Gates passes away. If you look at this show as a business -- even a tightly knit small business -- it simply makes sense to keep a successful business in operation.

That doesn't mean the network will come up with a winning or even a popular solution. (I think it's a good sign, though, that they're avoiding the "two Darrens" scenario that "Bewitched" went through.) But, to be honest, I think the network *owes* such an attempt to the staff of "8 Simple Rules."

Bob

Posted by: lew

The public will decide if the new show will work. The rumor is that Henry Winkler was already in the show as Pauls' brother. He was on the set when John Ritter died.

ABC really owes it to the other actors, staff etc to give it a try.

Don't know if this is a "spoiler", if someone will tell me how to edit this post to add the spoiler box I'll do it.

Posted by: ADent

Valerie (aka Valerie's Family, The Hogan Family) continued on after they killed the main (and title) character - though it did not involve a real life death.

See http://www.poobala.com/hogansandvalerie.html .

Posted by: jones07

As all Actors know. The Show Must Go On !

Posted by: mbcook

... although that's not always a good thing.

Posted by: jennifer

quote:
Originally posted by disco
Damn network execs...I was VERY upset when I heard this while watching the "Lifetime of Laughter" special on ABC last night...:down::down::down:

I missed that show! I didn't realize a special was being broadcast until today. Was it a good show?

Posted by: TivoDaddy

quote:
Originally posted by jennifer
I missed that show! I didn't realize a special was being broadcast until today. Was it a good show?

I have only watched the first half of the show where they have interviews with the cast of "8 Simple Rules...". It was very touching. Afterwards, it goes into his career. Before each commercial break a celebrity friend says something about how he touched their life.

Send me a PM if you want me to put it to tape and send it your way.