MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 (edited) Sept. 12 — 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 on Friday. Details of the circumstances of his death were not immediately available. 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. I heard on ABC TV that he suffered a heart attack but only ABC is reporting that. Kinda sucks but I never really found him that funny, although his new show on ABC was somewhat funny the few times I watched it. EDIT: He would have turned 55 next week. Edited September 12, 2003 by MarvinisaLunatic Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Sakura Report post Posted September 12, 2003 He was really funny on Buffy. Ted wouldn't have stood for this heart failure malarky. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jobber of the Week 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 Oy, he didn't last very long. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 He was really funny on Buffy. Ted wouldn't have stood for this heart failure malarky. Man, I totally forgot about that episode. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BifEverchad 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 Jeez, this is somewhat shocking to me. Dad told me this morning and I was like 'whaaaaat?'. Crazy. I grew up on 'Jack' and loved his work. He was always one of my sentimental favorites. RIP Mr. Ritter Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fökai 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 He had a great recurring role as J.D.'s father on Scrubs and a guest spot on Newsradio - two of my favorite shows. I enjoyed his work on 8 Simple Rules... and I'm sure more than a few on this board will agree. RIP John. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted September 12, 2003 Johnny Cash dying was NOT a surprise but this is... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nl5xsk1 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 It sucks that the first two posts of my morning have been about Cash passing away and now this one. As a kid from the 70s, I grew up watching Three's Company (and not just for Chrissy, either, I preferred Teri, but I digress) It was cool to see someone who had been virtually non-existant in the 80s and 90s (crappy movies like Problem Child don't count as a career) come back so huge 25 years after his first big break and have a relatively big hit sitcom. Hopefully his show goes on, and his legacy remains. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest The Grand Pubah of 1620 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 God Damn! This sucks. Ritter was really a great comedic actor. Not to mention his work on PBS. He will be missed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spaceman Spiff 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 Aortic aneurism is the reason I heard. RIP. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob_barron 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 Farewell John Ritter Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bruiser Chong 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 Hey, I don't really mind the Problem Child movies, although they are pretty bad, I have a soft spot for them, and Ritter's somewhat dry comedy is what helped make the movies enjoyable for me. R.I.P. John. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mecha Mummy 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 I discovered Three's Company when Nick at Nite put it on reruns and immediately loved it. Ritter was a great comedic actor and it sucks that this happens right after he has another hit show. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WrestlingDeacon 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 If you were going to have a deadpool, John Ritter would be like the last guy you'd pick. Honestly, you can't say the guy was a great actor or great comedian, because he wasn't. However, he was likable on screen and had a good work ethic. He always tried in everything he did and seemed to develop a real natural chemistry with his co-stars. I've only seen bits of his new show, 8 Simple Rules, but from what I've seen the cast was excellent with him holding it all together, if the show wasn't fairly pedestrian otherwise. Ritter was one of those rare breed these days of people who were pure t.v. stars and liked it that way. (Although he did have a few film roles, chiefly the underrated Skin Deep by director Blake Edwards and Stay Tuned. Problem Child can be swept under the rug.) I was also a fan of Ritter's short lived dramedy Hooperman, which was really a cool little show that probably would have found a bigger audience in this day and age. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zack Malibu 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 I'm another one who grew up on Three's Company, having been a huge fan of the show since I was a kid and couldn't even understand what most of the humor was about. A large part of that was due to Ritter's hilarious portrayal of Jack Tripper. Between his facial expressions and pratfalls, he's the main reason why I enjoyed that show so much as a kid. My dad told me John Ritter had passed this morning when I woke up for classes. Definitely not something I expected to hear. RIP John, your fans shall miss you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anakin Flair 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 Damn, this has been a crappy year for Hollywood... RIP Mr. Ritter Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Downhome 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 Holy shit. Say what you will, but I'm a huge fan of his. I still watch Three's Company every single day, and I loved his new TV show. I'm...simply shocked, I don't know what to say right now. Thanks a lot John, for all of the years of laughs. In my book, you'll always remain one of the best physical comedy actors...of all time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Downhome 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 Here are the details... By Peter Henderson LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Emmy award-winning actor John Ritter, who gained fame playing bumbling and lovable characters in a pair of television comedies decades apart, has died suddenly due to a previously undetected arterial problem, his representatives said on Friday. Ritter, who was 54, collapsed on Thursday evening while filming "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter," the ABC television comedy which had reinvigorated his career and was a centerpiece of the network's upcoming fall season. The former star of "Three's Company" was taken to Providence St. Joseph hospital in Burbank, California, across from the studio where he had been working. Surgeons at the hospital were unable to save him, and he died from a "dissection of the aorta," which results from an unrecognized flaw in a main artery from the heart, his publicists, Wolf-Kasteler & Associates Public Relations, said. Ritter was best known for his portrayal of Jack Tripper in the 1970s situation comedy "Three's Company," which won him Emmy, Golden Globe and People's Choice awards. A prolific actor, Ritter recently reconnected with television audiences as the star of "8 Simple Rules." Ritter played Paul Hennessy in the family comedy about a father dealing with his precocious daughters which was one of the Walt Disney Co.-owned network's hits in the 2002 season. "All of us at ABC, Touchstone Television and The Walt Disney Company are shocked and heartbroken at the terrible news of John's passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and children at this very difficult time," ABC said in a statement. Born into a Hollywood family, John Ritter was the son of country singer and actor Tex Ritter and graduated from Hollywood High School, where he was student body president. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in drama and went on to act in film, television and on the stage. He is survived by his wife, Amy Yasbeck and their daughter, Stella and three children, Carly, Tyler and Jason, from his first marriage to Nancy Morgan. ...and here is a picture of him, taken on September 7th, 2003... ...I'm still in shock, forgive me for a lack of words. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob_barron 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 I actually met John Ritter. He was one of those guys who signed autographs for everyone and I even got to say a few words to him. I love the Problem Child movies- Sure they may not be classics- but I always enjoyed them whenenver they came on USA. I also enjoyed Three's Company whenever I used to watch it. Thanks for everything John- You'll be missed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ripper 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 I was watching the morning news and they were doing a piece on Johnny Cash. They were about done with the piece and I was in my bathroom when at the end they just added on "And Actor John Ritter died of a heart attack" and that was it. I kept trying to convince myself that I heard wrong. So I sat down and kept flipping to news channels until I saw it somewhere else. I was late to work from just sitting there in shock. John Ritter is a great man. I met him in Atlanta one year at my job in the mall, then I saw him later that night at this resturant and then later that night at a Blockbuster video. He joked if I was following him and he talked to me for a while and told me about how hard it is to get a job acting and all (I wanted to be a actor at the time). I saw him again months later in New York and I was amazed that he actually remembered my name. How great of a guy that he would take the time to remember the studdering doofus of a fan that saw him in blockbuster months before. He was genuinely nice, I loved all the work he ever did and he will be missed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest cpac Report post Posted September 12, 2003 I loved three's company. Sad world we live in. I will miss John Ritter. He has a young kid with his current wife and 3 from his previous marriage. The man cant even watch his children grow up. I dont know how to say it, but his son must feel pretty crappy right about now, he just starred in a hit summer movie and now his dad is dead less than a month later. RIP John Ritter. You shall live on in our memories. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zack Malibu 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 Just to keep the fond memories of John flowing: Jack Tripper in disguise~! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Eagan469 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 I'm VERY shocked at this. He was a great actor. I loved him in Problem Child 1 and 2. RIP John Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dubq 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 Jeez, this is somewhat shocking to me. Dad told me this morning and I was like 'whaaaaat?'. Crazy. I grew up on 'Jack' and loved his work. He was always one of my sentimental favorites. RIP Mr. Ritter Same here. It was a double shock for me today to find out about this AND Johnny Cash. I mean, two guys I grew up watching/listening to. It's very surreal when your childhood favourites begin to pass on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dubq 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 Honestly, you can't say the guy was a great actor or great comedian, because he wasn't. Dude, the was hilarious! He did a lot of great physical comedy, as well, back in the Three's Company days. To say he's not a great actor or a comedian, while it might be a matter of taste, I just can't agree with that comment. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dubq 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 I saw him again months later in New York and I was amazed that he actually remembered my name. How great of a guy that he would take the time to remember the studdering doofus of a fan that saw him in blockbuster months before. That's so awesome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zetterberg is God 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 I must say I'm shocked as well. It just came out of nowhere. RIP John Ritter. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BifEverchad 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 Keep the memories goin'.. he was the man: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kaertos 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2003 This makes me sad. Like everyone else, I watched Three's Company growing up. As I got older, my appreciaiton for the show changed. I started to understand how difficult great timing is, and I started to understand how Jack Tripper's physical comedy was (and for me, still is) the highlight of the show. ::Mark out:: for Hooperman. That was a great show that I had forgotten about. John Ritter was one of those constant presences in TV that I always just assumed we be around forever. I will miss him... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Boo_Bradley Report post Posted September 12, 2003 I'm litterally numb... at least were 2/3 done with this f'n cycle Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
