I have to say I didn't see this one coming. I wonder if this will affect the release of Bad Santa - also I wonder how many episodes of "8 Simple Rules" are in the can. I wonder about trivial things like these... because they are easier to think about than death.
Actor John Ritter, who starred in the sitcom "Three's Company" in the 1970s and early '80s has died, according to news reports.
ABC News and MSNBC reported the death shortly after 4:30 a.m. this morning. Details of his death were not immediately available.
Ritter, 54, son of country singer and actor Tex Ritter, recently starred in ABC's "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter."
Jonathan Southworth Ritter was born in Burbank, Calif., on Sept. 17, 1948.
John was enrolled at Hollywood High School, where he was a student body president, and later attended the University of Southern California, where he majored in Psychology and minored in Architecture.
After taking an acting class he changed his major to Theater Arts, graduating in 1971 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama.
He also studied acting with Stella Adler at the Harvey Lembeck Comedy Workshop. Between 1968 and 1969, he appeared in a series of stage plays in England, Scotland, Holland and in Germany.
He is survived by his wife, actress Amy Yasbeck, and four children.
THE CAUSE of death was a dissection of the aorta, a press statement said.
Ritter reportedly fell ill on the set of his television show 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter Thursday afternoon. He was taken to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, where surgeons attempted to save the Emmy Award-winning actor.
Goodness, what a shame. I remember thinking Three's Company was silly even as a child. But I've always enjoyed Ritter's acting in guest spots in movies and television. He was arresting in Slingblade. I'm sure he appeared with equal distinction in other independent films I've yet to see. I know his guest appearance on Buffy was great, comedic, menacing and fun... everything you could want.
It's odd that I know him best as Jack Tripper (and I have no respect for "Jack Tripper"), but I miss his acting outside of that sitcom, and I do wish him the best. All the best.
This is a real shock. He was great on Three's Company and on that appearance on Buffy too. And his new show 8 Simple Rules..was awesome as well. He seemed to make everything funny like it was real easy. I hope the best for his friends/family. I also wonder what will happen to 8 Simple Rules.
Homer Simpson: If they can send a man to the moon, why can't they make my shoes smell good?
Oh my god, this is so incredibly sad and shocking... I just got the new TV guide(CDN) and they had the fall previews and there he was with the 2 girls from his current show in a picture and a write-up
Three's Company was the first show/sitcom I think I watched on a regular bases as a pre-teen. I remember for years coming home after school and watching it on a daily bases on syndication. I still like Three's Company and the Jack Tripper character... John Ritter always comes across like a genuine nice guy, which comes off in the Tripper character and the father character in 8 Simple Rules.
I just feel really sad about this, my mom is going to take it hard. He was always one of her favorite people on TV.
edit: bad spelling, can't really blame me
(edited by Net Hack Slasher on 12.9.03 0615) Me fail English? That's unpossible
I just heard the news myself. John Ritter was me and my sister's favorite actor. We just watched our favorite episode of Three's Company together last night. ;_;
"You won't see that on Everybody Loves Raymond!" -J.R. after Trish gets pasted with a chair
Oddly, this bothers me a lot more than Johnny Cash's passing. Perhaps because it was totally unexpected. Perhaps also because John Ritter was a very talebted guy who never really got his due. Three's Company may not have been a great sit-com but it was definitely a show that was saved by the charisma of its lead as well as Ritter's astonishing ability as a physical comedian. He was probably the finest pratfall comedian of his generation. Only Chevy Chase comes to mind as even being in his league.
I don't understand how people could not respect his work on Three's Company. As Llakor pointed out, he was very underrated on that show. John was the glue that held the show together. I've never seen someone that takes falls as well as him.
First Johnny Cash and now this...ugh...
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When I think of John Ritter, I immediately think of Three's Company, but then there was that show in the late 80s, Hooperman, which was called a "dramedy." I remember loving that show so much, and I was so disappointed when it didn't take off. John Ritter was an actor with great comic timing, and a respect for the tradition of the industry. It's shocking news.
This blindsided me. I don't know what else to say other than this makes me so incredibly sad.
Hi. We're the Cleveland Browns (clevelandbrowns.com). We Suck. We always suck. We will continue to suck for years to come. But hey, we have these groovy new orange pants now.
Johnny Cash. Captain Murphy. John fucking Ritter?! None of these people are supposed to die! That's it, I'm going back to bed.
(edited by OlFuzzyBastard on 12.9.03 0859) "These are the same arguments, the precise same arguments that were being made before the war. Its going to be a quagmire. What is the plan? When do we get out? How much is it going to cost? Someone in the military might get his hair mussed. We heard all these arguments." ----Ann Coulter, supporting our troops. Click here for a tribute to all Iraq's bad hair days to date.
As an unfunny comedian, I know how damn hard comedy is. Ritter made it effortless. I hope Nick at Nite does a 'Best of' Marathon.
Vaya con dios, funnyman.
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Equal Exchange: Shade grown, fair trade, gourmet coffee. Modern Humorist: Scathing social commentary and a dog that humps a Pikachu toy.
This is the kind of stuff that just sort of knocks you for a loop. You really never know when your number's up, and hearing this kind of news always steels me again the notion that life will fit into the societal template we try to force it into.
You've got to just go for it, not when you have a little more money, not after you're done school or when you have more time, you have to do whatever you dream of in life at the right moment. You can't hold back. You can go at 22 like Aaliyah, at 54 like John Ritter, or at 71 like Johnny Cash. It's not an effort to be morbid, but you never know when you're done so you've got to go after the brass ring in life.
RIP to John Ritter.
"Whatever I just posted above is what your mother said in bed last night."
These people can't die! First Zevon, Cash, now Ritter. (my grandmother, on a more personal note).
Granted, I wasn't old enough to follow Three's Company, but I have a fairly good clue of how funny John Ritter could be. The last time I saw him was on Conan O'Brien. I tell ya, if you want funny as hell TV; put Ted Nugent, Conan & John Ritter in a cooking segment.
Damn. Just damn. Three's Company will *always* be my favorite TV show. While most other kids my age were watching A-Team and Night Rider growing up I was obsessed with Three's Company. Jack Tripper was my hero. John Ritter will be sorely missed. R.I.P.
Mr. Firley outlived Jack Tripper? That just seems so weird. I think I'm gonna head to the Reagl Beagle and grab a drink in his honor. Maybe some whacky misunderstanding will happen to cheer me up.
(edited by Eradicator on 12.9.03 1027) "The Universe is shaped exactly like the Earth- if you go straight long enough you end up where you were."
To answer CRZ's question, given the shooting schedule of most sitcoms, I'd imagine that '8 Simple Rules' only had about a third of its season completed, if that. It'll clearly be the end of the show, since it couldn't continue without Ritter.
"When this bogus term alternative rock was being thrown at every '70s retro rehash folk group, we were challenging people to new sonic ideas. If some little snotty anarchist with an Apple Mac and an attitude thinks he invented dance music and the big rock group is coming into his territory, [that's] ridiculous." - Bono, 1997
Wow. I'm not shocked by much but this really shocked me. I wasn't a huge fan of his shows but on talk shows he always came across as a good, down to earth guy.
Originally posted by The GoonWhen I think of John Ritter, I immediately think of Three's Company, but then there was that show in the late 80s, Hooperman, which was called a "dramedy." I remember loving that show so much, and I was so disappointed when it didn't take off. John Ritter was an actor with great comic timing, and a respect for the tradition of the industry. It's shocking news.
"Hooperman" was just ahead of it's time - maybe it will pop up on Nick or TV Land now
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Originally posted by EradicatorDamn. Just damn. Three's Company will *always* be my favorite TV show. While most other kids my age were watching A-Team and Night Rider growing up I was obsessed with Three's Company. Jack Tripper was my hero. John Ritter will be sorely missed. R.I.P.
Mr. Firley outlived Jack Tripper? That just seems so weird. I think I'm gonna head to the Reagl Beagle and grab a drink in his honor. Maybe some whacky misunderstanding will happen to cheer me up.
(edited by Eradicator on 12.9.03 1027)
Let's not speak in any sort of tone of the possibility of Don Knotts dying. That would be one of the darkest days in American history. Watching reruns of Three's Company, you realize how many 'bumps' Ritter would take. Someone said it earlier, him and Chevy Chase are the standard for physical comedy on television. And, who can forget his classic cameo on MASH in the early 70's when he held Frank Burns hostage in the shower. I mean, it was already a Col. Flag episode, so it would already be a classic, but that just put it on another level. Now, I just hope ABC doesn't run commercials for his show this weekend during college football.
(edited by redsoxnation on 12.9.03 1316) Time to do a Red Sox pennant chase supply list: Arsenic: check. Cyanide: check. Booze: check. Fully loaded gun for full chamber Russian Roulette: check. Ok, I'm prepared, let the pennant race commence.