The Johns...

[Ryan Pode]

Johnny Cash AND John Ritter, both died. :(

[jjwr]

I was pretty shocked by this, very sudden, I knew Cash was getting close but him and Ritter on the same night.

[Droo]

Not Johnny Cash. I can't believe it, this has really frelled me up now. So depressed.

[Jinn Fizz]

I did not know this terrible news until I came here a few minutes ago.

Johnny Cash's passing is not that great a surprise, since he'd been so ill in recent years. Plus June's passing earlier this year made this almost inevitable, I think. Hopefully they are back to making beautiful music together in heaven. :angel

But John Ritter? Man, I thought that was some kind of cruel joke at first, it just didn't seem possible. I've always thought he was a funny, delightful, kind and gentle man, and I've always laughed at him since I was a teenager watching Three's Company when it was first on. Plus the few episodes I've seen of 8 Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter were cute too. Such a gifted man...oh, how unbelievable that he's no longer with us. Damn! :cry :cry :cry

[Daiquiri Van-Derveld]

I hadnt heard! How did Ritter die??

[darth_mcbain]

From IMDB...

Emmy Award-winning actor John Ritter, who shot to instant fame as the wily and wacky Jack Tripper in '70s TV hit Three's Company, died unexpectedly Thursday after collapsing on the set of his ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter; he was 54. Ritter apparently suffered a tear in the aorta, which was the result of an unrecognized flaw in his heart, according to his publicist, Lisa Kasteler. Rushed to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, across from the studio where he had been working, Ritter died shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday. The son of film star and singer Tex Ritter, the actor became an immediately recognizable star in Three's Company alongside Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt. The sitcom, which ran from 1977 to 1984, relied heavily on wacky scenarios and innocent misunderstandings, and easily showcased his gift for physical comedy and engaging screen presence; after that hit show, Ritter later starred in both Hooperman and Hearts Afire. An incredibly prolific actor, he also appeared in 1996's Sling Blade, made an acclaimed appearance on Broadway in Neil Simon's The Dinner Party, and also voiced the lead character of TV cartoon Clifford the Big Red Dog. After making notable appearances on Ally McBeal, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Felicity, Ritter recently enjoyed a career resurgence with the sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, which was a hit for beleaguered network ABC last year and was currently entering its second season. Ritter is survived by his wife, actress Amy Yasbeck, his son Jason Ritter, and three other children


A darn shame - he was a really good actor - while I didn't watch it all that much, I thought he was great in 8 Simple Rules...

[Jedi Master Carr]

Very sad Ritter's death is a shock, he will be very missed. :(

[Lilaena De'Ville]

:(:( All very sad.

[JMK]

I'm saddened by Johnny Cash's death, but shocked about Ritter's death. Didn't his father die relatively young as well?

[Jedi Master Carr]

Yeah he died young not sure how old he was though. There could have been an unknown heart condition in the family. Also what is going to happen to the show exactly? Are they going to cancel it completely or show the episodes they have filmed and then cancel it. I don't think the show can survive this, it is different than when Phil Hartman died for Newsradio or when that older actor died on Gimmie a Break they weren't the main star, I think there is no way they can go on without Ritter. Still it would be nice to maybe show the episodes that were filmed in tribute to him.

[Droo]

I'd never even heard of John Ritter until today. :\

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

:cry John Ritter was cool....doesn't seem real......

[Jinn Fizz]

Originally posted by Dru
I'd never even heard of John Ritter until today. :\

Wow, really? Three's Company was an extremely dumb show, but John Ritter was the prime reason why the show was watchable at all. A very gifted comedian, both with words and with actions. I also remember him as the preacher on The Waltons, plus recently he'd been on things as diverse as Ally McBeal, Scrubs, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The other thing that was so extraordinarily cool about is that you NEVER heard a single bad thing about him. He always came across as a genuinely nice man who never took himself all that seriously, and who loved his family very, very much. He will definitely be missed.

My parents watch 8 Simple Rules, and my mother isn't sure the show can go on without him. But I agree wholeheartedly with Jedi Master Carr, I hope ABC still shows all unaired episodes as a tribute to him. I will be sure to watch.