John Ritter Dead At 54

[Berzerker]

Someone else is going to bite it soon. They always come in threes

Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but if Warren Zevon doesn't count as #3, Larry Hovis from "Hogan's Heroes" died too very recently.

[Dis]

damn, I was a big fan of his. I'm not really a fan of his ABC show though- I haven't seen it.

Anyone seen Slingblade? Excellent movie.

rip

[Dis]

Phil Hartman ruled!!

I'm still upset at that ***** for killing him.

I loved all of Hartmans' bits on SNL, and more importantly he provided 2 really funny characters on the Simpsons. And really since Hartman died, the simpsons hasn't been as good. Yes I know he had small parts, but they really helped the show imho.

[FrustratedPoet]

Which voices did Hartman do on The Simpsons?

[JohnT]

Troy McClure for one.

[Boris Godunov]

Lionel Hutz

[Straybow]

Gee, st_swithin isn't here cheering the death of another B-movie actor??

[MrFun]

I was shocked with John Ritter's death.

He died prematurely, that's for sure.


RIP -- you will be missed.

[Drake Tungsten]

Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but if Warren Zevon doesn't count as #3, Larry Hovis from "Hogan's Heroes" died too very recently.

Zevon is #3, officially now.

[Straybow]

Dave Letterman did a very touching memorial to Warren Zevon, replaying the tape of Warren's last public performance (on the Late Show a few months ago).

Cartoon: why is Ritter in a bathtub???

[Dis]

If I recall correctly, he was in a bathtub on the very first episode of three's company. That is how he woke up. He discovered he was in an apartment with 2 girls (though he should have woke up in the bed ). And I guess after that he needed a place to stay, so he asked to stay there. Or something along those lines.

[Jack_www]

Originally posted by My Wife Hates CIV
dissection of aorta - ? someone explain.

I heard a good one on the radio news. What happens is that a tear in the inside wall aorta occurs. Then the blood starts to flow inside the outer and inner walls of the aorta and soon it gets to a point were it blocks the flow of blood and all of it goes into the empty space instead in the middle of the aorta, and then you die.

[Jack_www]

Re: John Ritter Dead At 54

Originally posted by Berzerker
Apparently from a heart attack following a taping of his new show.

RIP

he died as a result of a dissection of aorta, not heart attack.

[Japher]

If I recall correctly, he was in a bathtub on the very first episode of three's company. That is how he woke up. He discovered he was in an apartment with 2 girls (though he should have woke up in the bed ). And I guess after that he needed a place to stay, so he asked to stay there. Or something along those lines

IIRC, His character was a theif breaking into the apartment through the bathroom window and he slipped and hit his head, then the ladies found him there in the morning and took care of him.

[Drake Tungsten]

Ritter's show to continue without him

Don't know if this is such a great idea, but we'll see.

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- ABC's "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" will continue despite star John Ritter's death and will show the TV family coping with his character's loss, the network said Tuesday.

"Everybody recognizes that John loved that show. ... He'd have wanted the show to continue," Lloyd Braun, chairman of ABC Entertainment Television Group, told a telephone news conference.

Braun and ABC Entertainment President Susan Lyne said the sitcom will debut next Tuesday as planned and that the network will air the three episodes Ritter filmed before his death last week.

After that, the series co-starring Katey Sagal will go into repeats while writers retool it and production starts. No date was given for when the show will return to the air.

Ritter, making a TV series comeback 25 years after he starred in "Three's Company," became ill on the "8 Simple Rules" set and died Thursday of an undetected heart problem. He was 54.

It hasn't been decided if the death of Ritter's character, Paul Hennessy, will mirror what happened to the actor, ABC executives said.

Ritter's series, which premiered last year with solid ratings, was considered a key part of ABC's comeback effort and anchored its Tuesday night lineup of family comedies.

ABC knows it's facing a difficult task, rebuilding a comedy on a death and especially that of the series' star, network executives acknowledged.

"We're going to take it an episode at a time," Lyne said. While the idea of recasting Ritter's role was quickly rejected, new characters will be added at some point, the ABC executives said.

Although Braun lauded Sagal as a "fantastic actress" capable of taking on a greater role in the series, he said it would become more of an ensemble production.

Ritter's widow, actress Amy Yasbeck, and the series' cast and producers supported the decision to keep going, Braun said. An ABC News tribute to Ritter aired Tuesday night.

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/17/ritter.show.ap/index.html