offtopic: Its so odd, and sad. I never thought Id hear John Ritter was dead(know what I mean?) This is from yahoo. I wasnt a big fan, but i liked him.

Sitcom Star John Ritter Collapses on Set, Dies

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.

Ive been up all night freakin crying and watching the news. I dont want to believe it. He was too young and had to much energy. :( :(

Originally posted by Crimson and Clover
Ive been up all night freakin crying and watching the news. I dont want to believe it. He was too young and had to much energy. :( :(

awwww Mary:( Its okay, I hope you will feel better. I was sick and stayed home from school, and now after hearing hes gone I feel worse:crying:

Its so shocking isn't it? I never expecetd it. He seemed healthy. :( :(

Originally posted by Doug'n'Carrie
Its so shocking isn't it? I never expecetd it. He seemed healthy. :( :(

Very...hes one of those peopel you never would think of dieing:(

I'm still in shock. I've watched him ever since the Waltons. He was so young.

Originally posted by mr roper
I'm still in shock. I've watched him ever since the Waltons. He was so young.

:( he was young. I think thats why it hurt so much. He was young and seemed healthy...

Originally posted by Charmedsclub
:( he was young. I think thats why it hurt so much. He was young and seemed healthy...

I know. Johnny Cash wasnt that big of a surprise. But John Ritter, I never would have thought he would be gone so soon.:(

I grew up with him always being on tv in one show or another. I loved him in the movie SlingBlade. He will be missed!

i understand this is a tv related message board, so i understand john ritter being a bigger loss. personally though, johnny cash's leaving us hit me alot harder, like warren zevon who passed earlier this week, we all knew it was coming. johnny cash did so much more for the country i think, he was a voice for those who were silenced. people often ignore prisoners, johnny performed concerts for them. through his music he brought alot of the country tagedys and peoples storys to light and i think he deserves his due credit for that. sorry to all you john ritter fans, but my heart is with johnny cash today.

Originally posted by mudshark82
i understand this is a tv related message board, so i understand john ritter being a bigger loss. personally though, johnny cash's leaving us hit me alot harder, like warren zevon who passed earlier this week, we all knew it was coming. johnny cash did so much more for the country i think, he was a voice for those who were silenced. people often ignore prisoners, johnny performed concerts for them. through his music he brought alot of the country tagedys and peoples storys to light and i think he deserves his due credit for that. sorry to all you john ritter fans, but my heart is with johnny cash today. my heart is with them both. This is a Sitcoms message board and thats why John Ritter is being talked about more. I think they both did a lot for this country. I grew up with Johnny Cash. Some of my favorite songs of his were ' I walk The Line, A Boy Named Sue, and Ring Of Fire. His songs always made me feel good. I also grew up with John Ritter and he made me laugh for many years. I don't think because John Ritter is talked more about on here, it's disrespecting Johnny Cash. If this was a country music board I'm sure Johnny Cash would be talked about more and John Ritter hardly mentioned.

I just heard about John Ritter on "Good Day Live" not too long ago today. It was a shock to me because I hadn't heard anything about him being ill at all...they even said he was rehearsing lines for "8 Simple Rules" yesterday.

Things like this are a reminder that we must live life to the fullest, and not let the small things pass us by.

RIP, John.

Originally posted by realchic1999
[BThings like this are a reminder that we must live life to the fullest, and not let the small things pass us by.[/B]

Thats very true!

John's passing has been so hard to take. I woke up today and I still have this rather "haunted" feeling looming over me. Almost like it's not really true, though I know that it is.:( :(

Ritter was a genius in his own way, and a big inspiration to me. I grew up watching "Three's Company"...it was the first TV show I ever really loved, and remains one of my favorites. I heard the news in the wee hours last Friday, a few hours after it happened, and stayed up 'til 10 a.m. compiling a tribute for my website. Check it out, if you wish:

http://crapple.iwarp.com/john_ritter_rip.html

Also, wanted to let you know that I believe Nick At Nite will be showing the classic episode "Up In The Air" this Friday evening (repeated Saturday in the a.m.). It's the unforgettable episode where Jack accompanies Janet on a plane flight to a posh party and takes tranquilizers to help soothe his nerves. Then when he gets to the party he gets tanked and...well, you probably remember the rest.

I was wondering why this classic episode (one of Ritter's own favorites) was left out of the marathon on Monday. Probably because they were going to broadcast it on Friday anyway. For those Ritter fans who have seen it, you know what a treat this episode is. For those who haven't, be sure and tune in!

I was shocked at John Ritter's passing - it was just so sudden and seems so unfair.:(

Johnny Cash, Warren Zevon, and John Ritter all in one week. Sad, sad, sad.:(

Originally posted by lizzybabe
I was shocked at John Ritter's passing - it was just so sudden and seems so unfair.:(

Johnny Cash, Warren Zevon, and John Ritter all in one week. Sad, sad, sad.:(

so true...
But you know what they say, stars always die in pairs of 3's...:(