John Ritter Remembered: From ‘Three’s Company’ to ‘8 Simple Rules’ and a Legacy of Laughter
A tribute to John Ritter’s life, career and enduring impact told through those who knew and loved him
When John Ritter passed away unexpectedly in 2003 at the age of 54, it felt like the wind had been knocked out of us. He was on the set of 8 Simple Rules, doing what he did best — making people laugh — when chest pains suddenly struck. It was an aortic dissection, and despite being rushed to the hospital, he was gone that same day. The shock was universal. This was a man who had always radiated joy. How could he just… not be there anymore?
Chris Mann, author of Come and Knock on Our Door: A Hers and Hers and His Guide to Three’s Company, captured what a lot of us felt: “Utter devastation.” He had met John, spent time with him, and described seeing him on the set of 8 Simple Rules as “joyous.” John had a new baby, his kids were grown, Jason was getting into acting — it felt like his second act was just taking off.
Director Marty Davidson, who gave John his first feature film lead in Hero at Large, recalled the actor’s memorial service, held in a grand movie palace on Hollywood Boulevard. Yes, there were tears, but there was laughter, too. Billy Bob Thornton got up and told stories. And at the very end? A 100-piece USC marching band stormed the theater and led everyone across the street to a bowling alley for a full-blown celebration of life. Even in death, John Ritter made people laugh.
The guy everyone loved
It’s not just a Hollywood cliché when people say, “Everybody loved John Ritter.” In his case, they really did. He was the kind of actor—and person—that made people feel like they knew him. He came across like a friend, a brother or even the goofy uncle you always looked forward to seeing.
Richard Kline, who played Larry Dallas on Three’s Company, doesn’t hesitate when asked what comes to mind when he thinks of John: “Friend. Comedy genius. All-around good guy. Great father. Baseball fan. Beatles fan… So many things.” He also compares John to Dick Van Dyke — though he’s quick to add that Ritter had a broader dramatic range.
Even offscreen, John stayed grounded. Bob Myman, his producing partner and longtime friend, remembered how the success never went to his head. “He just remained the same guy. Sweet, kind, generous, interested in everybody,” he said. “He had this amazing gift—he could turn into a completely different character instantly, without showing the work. It just looked effortless.”
Marty Davidson echoed that sentiment: “He wasn’t one of those ‘keep it spontaneous’ guys. He took comedy seriously. He approached it like acting: find the truth and the reality and then make it funny.”
Tex Ritter’s son
John was born Jonathan Southworth Ritter in Burbank, California, on September 17, 1948. His father, Tex Ritter, was a pioneering country singer and actor—a singing cowboy who made it onto Broadway and starred in dozens of Westerns. His mother, Dorothy Fay, brought the glamour, with John describing her as a cross between Glinda the Good Witch and Auntie Mame. He had one older brother, Tom, who had cerebral palsy, and the family grew up close-knit.
Despite Tex’s showbiz success, he didn’t want John to follow in his footsteps. He knew the hardships and instability of that life, but his son had a natural flair. He was the family cut-up—standing on top of the car pretending to be a preacher, trying to make everyone laugh. His brother once said John brought “lightness to the seriousness” the family faced.
He started at USC as a psychology major with dreams of getting into politics, but it didn’t stick. He transferred to the School of Dramatic Arts and graduated in 1971, quickly finding work in TV and film. One of his earliest movie appearances was in the Disney comedy The Barefoot Executive, playing a young TV exec opposite Kurt Russell and a chimp that could predict hit shows. Yes, really.
On TV, he started landing spots on M*A*S*H, The Bob Newhart Show and The Waltons, where he played Reverend Matthew Fordwick in 18 episodes—a role that, according to Chris Mann, made his father proud. “His dad didn’t want him to become an actor,” says Chris, “but that part gave him legitimacy.”
Then came Jack Tripper
Of course, John’s breakout role came in 1977 as Jack Tripper on Three’s Company. The setup was pure farce: a man living platonically with two women, pretending to be gay to avoid eviction by their prudish landlord. The premise was light (some would say silly), but John’s physical comedy and charm elevated it. He made it hilarious.
Chris Mann explained, “He played the everyman who kept trying to do the right thing but bungled it comedically. People related to that.” Richard Kline said it best: “It might as well have been called The John Ritter Show. He drove the comedy, the relationships. He was the star, no matter how many blondes came and went.”
There were behind-the-scenes tensions—especially when ABC didn’t tell the cast that Three’s Company was ending and planned to spin it off into Three’s a Crowd. That spin-off, which paired Jack with a new love interest and meddling father-in-law, didn’t stick. Chris believes the problem was clear: “He needed the right ensemble. They should have done it more like Frasier.”
Still, John never stopped appreciating Three’s Company. Lucille Ball was a big fan and even hosted a retrospective. Later, he would return the favor by guest-starring on her final sitcom, Life with Lucy, and broke her up so badly on set she had to yell “Cut!”—something she almost never did.
John once said he was embarrassed by Three’s Company at first, especially around his serious actor friends, but then Jon Voight—one of his heroes—told him how much he and his daughter loved it. As noted, Lucille Ball endorsed it and John slowly began to see what the rest of us always had.
A superhero everyman
In 1980, John took a rare leading role in a feature film: Hero at Large. It’s not Citizen Kane, but it’s a gem. In it, he plays Steve Nichols, a struggling New York actor hired to promote a cheesy Captain Avenger movie. Still in costume, he stops a robbery and becomes a local hero. From there, things snowball: politicians try to exploit him, the public buys into the myth and eventually Steve has to decide what kind of man he really wants to be.
“It’s underrated,” says Chris Mann. “It has heart. He starts out pretending, but by the end, he becomes a real hero. It’s a romantic comedy, sure, but it hit people emotionally.”
Director Marty Davidson shared a personal favorite moment: “My wife Sandy was the costume designer. After the movie, John went on The Tonight Show and he brought out a tiny Captain Avenger costume Sandy had made for his newborn son, Jason. He showed it to Johnny Carson and said, ‘Hey Sandy — thanks!’ That made her week.”
From dramedies to deadlines
Post-Three’s Company, John tried hard to shed Jack Tripper’s shadow—sometimes successfully, sometimes not. He took on TV movies and small, artsier films like Peter Bogdanovich’s They All Laughed. In 1987, he starred in Hooperman, one of the earliest shows dubbed a “dramedy.” As a San Francisco cop dealing with an inherited apartment building, John was funny, yes, but also thoughtful and grounded.
Creator Steven Bochco explained, “He’s an incredibly gifted physical actor, but also has the emotional range. And he was ready to do more than fall over couches.”
John embraced the challenge. “Cops deal with trauma by plugging into humor,” he told the LA Times. “It’s just a different kind of humor.”
Hooperman earned him an Emmy and a Golden Globe, but the dramedy format struggled to find a big audience. A few years later, he returned to traditional sitcoms with Hearts Afire, playing a senator’s aide opposite Markie Post. It started strong, but creative shifts in Season 2—including a move to a small-town newspaper setting—hurt it.
Markie Post remembered, “It was heartbreaking. It was the best thing I’d ever done. Then they moved it and it was never the same.” Ed Asner, who co-starred, wasn’t thrilled either. “They were rewriting scenes after the audience had gone home. John and Markie toughed it out, but I resented it.”
‘8 Simple Rules’
By the time 8 Simple Rules came around in 2002, John had come full circle. The premise? An overprotective dad raising two teenage daughters — basically Jack Tripper grown up, but now terrified of boys like the one he used to be.
Kaley Cuoco, who played one of his daughters, shared her favorite memory with Vulture: “I walked into the first table read in a tiny outfit. John walked over, threw his jacket over me, and said, ‘Cover up! I’m not letting you leave dressed like that!’ From that moment, he was my TV dad.”
Chris Mann called 8 Simple Rules “a bookend.” It brought John back to the format he loved: live audiences, quick laughs and that direct connection to viewers. And in a post-9/11 world, audiences wanted comfort.
Richard Kline visited John on the set and found him surrounded by friends, including Cybill Shepherd and Peter Bogdanovich. “He was the same John,” Kline said. “Same funny stuff.”
His memory lives on
In his later years, John found lasting love with actress Amy Yasbeck. They met on Problem Child, worked together several times and had a daughter, Stella (now Noah), in 1998. They married the following year.
On September 11, 2003, while rehearsing for 8 Simple Rules, John fell ill and never recovered. His death led to a wrongful death lawsuit, but ultimately, the court ruled in favor of the doctors. Amy later published With Love and Laughter, John Ritter, a memoir of their life together.
8 Simple Rules continued for two more seasons, adding James Garner and David Spade, but it never recovered from John’s absence.
His legacy, however, lives on. His son Jason Ritter has become a respected actor in his own right, with roles in Parenthood, Joan of Arcadia and Kevin (Probably) Saves the World. Tyler Ritter also pursued acting, with roles in Arrow, The McCarthys and more.
Jason once said, “I’d go into auditions and they’d say, ‘Your dad was so funny,’ and I’d think, ‘Oh great, now you’ll see how far I am from him.’ But he taught me that being an actor isn’t about celebrity, it’s about doing the work, wherever you are.”
Richard Kline summed it up best: “He was the guy every mother wanted her daughter to marry. The guy you’d want on your softball team. Handsome, funny and full of goodwill.”
Chris Mann added, “He made us forget our worries. He helped us laugh. He was that rare kind of everyman with extraordinary talent. And that is special.”
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