Actors who died while they were a Regular or Recurring Character on a Current Show - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

mickeymouseclubfan · 11-16-2013, 04:20 PM

1. John Ritter -- Perhaps THE saddest of all cases. Best known as Jack Tripper on the hit 70s sitcom Threes Company, John Ritter (the youngest of 2 sons born to Tex Ritter & Dorothy Fay Southworth) was on the set of his 2002 comeback vehicle 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter (produced by Shady Acres Entertainment for Walt Disney Television) during the afternoon of September 11, 2003 (10 years ago) when John, aged 54, fell ill with what he initially thought was food poisoning; by 8 P.M. ET that night, he was Hospitalized across the street from the Disney lot at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California (where he had been born on September 17, 1948); however, at 1 a.m. ET the next morning, September 12, 2003, 5 days before his 55th birthday, John Ritter died. His cause of death was ruled as a Dissection of the Aorta. Coincidentally, John died on his wife Amy Yasbecks 41st birthday, the day after their daughter Stella, now aged 15, turned 5, and 6 days shy of celebrating his 4th wedding anniversary with Amy Yasbeck. Along with Amy & Stella, John was survived by a legion of fans, along with 3 young adult children (including son Jason, now 33 and a promising young actor in his own right) from his 1st marriage to Nancy Morgan. (FYI: John met Amy on the set of the 1st Problem Child movie while STILL married to Nancy, and though he & Nancy didnt divorce until 1996, he & Nancy had separated soon after Problem Child was in theaters).

2. Phil Hartman -- At the time of his May 28, 1998 murder, Phil Hartman, aged 49, had just completed his 3rd season as Bill McNeal on the hit 90s sitcom NewsRadio. The following Fall, his character was written out as having died of a Massive Heart Attack in the Season 4 debut, 8 months before the series was canceled in May 1999.

3. Nick Colasanto -- Best known as Coach Ernie Pantusso on TVs Cheers, Nicky (as his colleagues referred to him) was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in December 1984. On February 8, 1985, his doctors found him well enough to return to Cheers; 4 days later, February 12, Nicky, aged 61, died of a Heart Attack while watching TV; the following Fall, Coach was written out as also having died, thus Woody Harrelson took his place.

4. Michael Conrad -- OK, so he isnt a sitcom actor, but in November 1983, after a short Cancer battle, Michael Conrad, best known for his role on the hit 80s cop show Hill Street Blues, died of Cancer at age 58; his character, Sgt. Phil Esterhaus, was written out in March 1984 by having died of a Heart Attack (off-camera) while making love to a woman.

5. Tim Russert -- Though not an actor, Tim Russert was in his 17th year as host of Meet the Press in June 2008 when he cut short a trip to Italy to celebrate his son Luke having become a recent college graduate; on June 13, Tim, aged 58, dropped dead of a Heart Attack, a story first broken by his NBC News Colleague Tom Brokaw. At the time of his death, he was survived by wife Maureen Orth, son Luke, and dad Tim, Sr., a.k.a. Big Russ, as well as 3 grown sisters.

6. Cory Monteith -- The most recent addition to this list. Cory was best known for his role as Finn Hudson on the hit FOX Network Musical series Glee. Earlier this Summer, after a long fight addiction, Cory, aged 31, died of a Heroin Overdose in Vancouver, Canada during a summer hiatus. Earlier this TV season, Finn was written out as also having died very young.

Zoneboy · 11-16-2013, 04:37 PM

Joseph Kearns - Dennis the Menace
Pete Deuel - Alias Smith and Jones
Bea Benaderet - Petticoat Junction

Marvo301 · 11-16-2013, 05:08 PM

Nicholas Colasanto - Cheers
Jack Soo - Barney Miller
Will Geer - The Waltons

Regulus · 11-16-2013, 05:20 PM

George Cleveland - Lassie

Freddy Prince - Sanford and Son

William Hogan Jr · 11-16-2013, 05:52 PM

Larry Keating- Mister Ed

comedyfreak · 11-16-2013, 06:13 PM

Alice Pierce-Gladys Kravitz (Bewitched)
Redd Foxx- (The Royal Family)
Selma Diamond-Selma (Night Court)
Florence Halop-Florence Kleiner (Night Court)

Zoneboy · 11-16-2013, 06:22 PM

Barbara Pepper - Green Acres
Diana Hyland - Eight is Enough
Zara Cully - The Jeffersons

Mr. Television · 11-16-2013, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Regulus

George Cleveland - Lassie

Freddy Prince - Sanford and Son

Freddie Prinze was on Chico and the Man.

Mr. Television · 11-16-2013, 07:39 PM

Dolph Sweet-Gimme a Break
Jim Davis-Dallas
Larry Hagman-TNT's Dallas
Barton MacLane-I Dream of Jeannie

Zoneboy · 11-16-2013, 08:52 PM

William Frawley - My Three Sons (same day as Alice Pearce)
Glenn Strange (Sam the Bartender) - Gunsmoke
Will Lee (Mr. Hooper) - Sesame Street

Regulus · 11-16-2013, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuck In The '70's

Freddie Prinze was on Chico and the Man.

DOH!

treky · 11-17-2013, 01:48 AM

This wasn't a sitcom, but Amanda Blake was only in the first GUNSMOKE "reunion" movie (I put that in quotes because the only cast member in all the movies was James Arness) because after it she died of what was reported to be lung cancer but a later examination of hospital records showed that she died of aids.

Zoneboy · 11-17-2013, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OH Nuts!

Diana Hyland on Eight Is Enough. She only made it through the first four or five episodes. The poor thing was dealing with advanced breast cancer and passed away at 41.

I mentioned her earlier but it looks like someone deleted it.

James28 · 01-22-2014, 07:15 PM

If an elderly person (64+ years or older) is cast in a new TV series, there's always the potential for him dying/passing away while the show is still producing new episodes.

ThomasE · 01-24-2014, 09:26 PM

Marcia Wallace - The Simpsons
Michael Thoma - Fame

Soap Opera Circuit:
Larry Riley - Knots Landing
Jeanne Cooper - The Young And The Restless
Ruth Warrick - All My Children
Anna Lee - General Hospital

11-16-2013, 04:20 PM	#1
mickeymouseclubfan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 05, 2013 Posts: 145	Actors who died while they were a Regular or Recurring Character on a Current Show 1. John Ritter -- Perhaps THE saddest of all cases. Best known as Jack Tripper on the hit 70s sitcom Threes Company, John Ritter (the youngest of 2 sons born to Tex Ritter & Dorothy Fay Southworth) was on the set of his 2002 comeback vehicle 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter (produced by Shady Acres Entertainment for Walt Disney Television) during the afternoon of September 11, 2003 (10 years ago) when John, aged 54, fell ill with what he initially thought was food poisoning; by 8 P.M. ET that night, he was Hospitalized across the street from the Disney lot at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California (where he had been born on September 17, 1948); however, at 1 a.m. ET the next morning, September 12, 2003, 5 days before his 55th birthday, John Ritter died. His cause of death was ruled as a Dissection of the Aorta. Coincidentally, John died on his wife Amy Yasbecks 41st birthday, the day after their daughter Stella, now aged 15, turned 5, and 6 days shy of celebrating his 4th wedding anniversary with Amy Yasbeck. Along with Amy & Stella, John was survived by a legion of fans, along with 3 young adult children (including son Jason, now 33 and a promising young actor in his own right) from his 1st marriage to Nancy Morgan. (FYI: John met Amy on the set of the 1st Problem Child movie while STILL married to Nancy, and though he & Nancy didnt divorce until 1996, he & Nancy had separated soon after Problem Child was in theaters). 2. Phil Hartman -- At the time of his May 28, 1998 murder, Phil Hartman, aged 49, had just completed his 3rd season as Bill McNeal on the hit 90s sitcom NewsRadio. The following Fall, his character was written out as having died of a Massive Heart Attack in the Season 4 debut, 8 months before the series was canceled in May 1999. 3. Nick Colasanto -- Best known as Coach Ernie Pantusso on TVs Cheers, Nicky (as his colleagues referred to him) was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in December 1984. On February 8, 1985, his doctors found him well enough to return to Cheers; 4 days later, February 12, Nicky, aged 61, died of a Heart Attack while watching TV; the following Fall, Coach was written out as also having died, thus Woody Harrelson took his place. 4. Michael Conrad -- OK, so he isnt a sitcom actor, but in November 1983, after a short Cancer battle, Michael Conrad, best known for his role on the hit 80s cop show Hill Street Blues, died of Cancer at age 58; his character, Sgt. Phil Esterhaus, was written out in March 1984 by having died of a Heart Attack (off-camera) while making love to a woman. 5. Tim Russert -- Though not an actor, Tim Russert was in his 17th year as host of Meet the Press in June 2008 when he cut short a trip to Italy to celebrate his son Luke having become a recent college graduate; on June 13, Tim, aged 58, dropped dead of a Heart Attack, a story first broken by his NBC News Colleague Tom Brokaw. At the time of his death, he was survived by wife Maureen Orth, son Luke, and dad Tim, Sr., a.k.a. Big Russ, as well as 3 grown sisters. 6. Cory Monteith -- The most recent addition to this list. Cory was best known for his role as Finn Hudson on the hit FOX Network Musical series Glee. Earlier this Summer, after a long fight addiction, Cory, aged 31, died of a Heroin Overdose in Vancouver, Canada during a summer hiatus. Earlier this TV season, Finn was written out as also having died very young.

11-16-2013, 04:37 PM	#2
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,338	Joseph Kearns - Dennis the Menace Pete Deuel - Alias Smith and Jones Bea Benaderet - Petticoat Junction
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11-16-2013, 05:08 PM	#3
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,450	Nicholas Colasanto - Cheers Jack Soo - Barney Miller Will Geer - The Waltons
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11-16-2013, 05:20 PM	#4
Regulus Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 07, 2011 Location: Port Orange, Florida Avatar - Poiuyt Posts: 3,371	George Cleveland - *Lassie* Freddy Prince - *Sanford and Son*
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11-16-2013, 06:13 PM	#6
comedyfreak Cheers! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 14, 2005 Location: Sunny California Posts: 11,058	Alice Pierce-Gladys Kravitz (Bewitched) Redd Foxx- (The Royal Family) Selma Diamond-Selma (Night Court) Florence Halop-Florence Kleiner (Night Court)
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11-16-2013, 05:52 PM	#5
William Hogan Jr Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 28, 2008 Location: Mayodan, N.C. Posts: 324	Larry Keating- Mister Ed

11-16-2013, 06:22 PM	#7
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,338	Barbara Pepper - Green Acres Diana Hyland - Eight is Enough Zara Cully - The Jeffersons

11-16-2013, 07:39 PM	#9
Mr. Television 22 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,125	Dolph Sweet-Gimme a Break Jim Davis-Dallas Larry Hagman-TNT's Dallas Barton MacLane-I Dream of Jeannie

11-16-2013, 08:52 PM	#10
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,338	William Frawley - My Three Sons (same day as Alice Pearce) Glenn Strange (Sam the Bartender) - Gunsmoke Will Lee (Mr. Hooper) - Sesame Street

11-17-2013, 01:48 AM	#12
treky star trek fan Eternal Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Feb 25, 2002 Location: Conshohocken, pennsylvania Posts: 14,490	This wasn't a sitcom, but Amanda Blake was only in the first GUNSMOKE "reunion" movie (I put that in quotes because the only cast member in all the movies was James Arness) because after it she died of what was reported to be lung cancer but a later examination of hospital records showed that she died of aids.
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01-22-2014, 07:15 PM	#14
James28 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 14, 2007 Posts: 3,967	If an elderly person (64+ years or older) is cast in a new TV series, there's always the potential for him dying/passing away while the show is still producing new episodes.
	__________________ "When the run of a network TV show has ended, some go out with a bang, some with a whimper, but all are...Future Endeavored." "Stay Safe"? More like "Stay Sad". #2020Hurts

01-24-2014, 09:26 PM	#15
ThomasE Member Moderator Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 04, 2000 Location: New York, New York, U.S.A. Posts: 10,857	Marcia Wallace - The Simpsons Michael Thoma - Fame Soap Opera Circuit: Larry Riley - Knots Landing Jeanne Cooper - The Young And The Restless Ruth Warrick - All My Children Anna Lee - General Hospital
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