20 years ago, we lost John Ritter

[TMC]

Originally Posted by TMC

Does anybody remember or know what the cast (Joyce, Suzanne, Richard, Priscilla, Jenilee, and Don) said in reaction to John's sudden death? Norman Fell and Audra Lindley were already gone by this time, so I left them out. Jenilee Harrison did on the 40th anniversary reunion special on Antenna TV from 2017, recall being on Bill O'Reilly's Fox News program, The O'Reilly Factor to talk about John. And I guess, Jenilee said that John's "entourage" was his family when being asked that type of question by O'Reilly.

• John Ritter Remembered; Interview With Sharon Stone

CNN LARRY KING LIVE

John Ritter Remembered; Interview With Sharon Stone

Aired September 12, 2003 - 21:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Tonight, John Ritter, the beloved television and film and stage star dead at the age of 54. Suddenly, shockingly, struck down by an undetected heart ailment. Suzanne Somers will share her memories of her co-star in the long-running TV comedy "Three's Company."
And then Sharon Stone, sexy, outspoken, single again. We'll talk about that and her own brush with death. In-depth and personal next on LARRY KING LIVE.

In a little while, three people who worked closely with John Ritter, and knew him well, Henry Winkler, Richard Kline and Priscilla Barnes will join us.

We'll open the program on the phone with Suzanne Somers, who co- starred with John Ritter on "Three's Company."

How did you hear about this today, Suzanne?

SUZANNE SOMERS, ENTERTAINER: You know, I woke up this morning and I turned on the television and there was Diane Sawyer saying, It's always tragic when we lose someone so young. And I thought, Who? And then she said John Ritter and my heart just fell to my feet. It's just so shocking.

KING: Did you know anything was the wrong at all with John?

SOMERS: No. No, not at all. Not at all. And, you know, I -- I just -- when I heard, I called his wife immediately. And, his wife is a wonderful person. She's the one who really put John and I back together again. And I talked to her this morning and she was just -- just in shock. Kept saying it's inconceivable.

KING: You had had a riff for a long time, hadn't you?

SOMERS: Yes. And you know, anybody listening, if you have unresolved issues in a relationship, make a phone call and end it because, I'll tell you, that was my shock at his death but the relief that we had had resolution. I would -- today would have been unbearable for me if we hadn't had that.

And I really have to thank his wife. I was in the bathroom at a premiere for "Victor/Victoria" and she walked in and -- she's this beautiful woman. And she said, I am John Ritter's wife. And I didn't know her. And, she said, you and John have to get together. And she dragged me out of the bathroom and brought me to his table. Brought me to his table. And the two of us just looked at each other and hugged each other, and cried.

And what was so -- we were both so willing to forgive and it all had been so stupid. I don't even know what it was about. But I'm so glad to have patched things up.

I talked to him just a few months ago. He wanted me to guest star on his show in a dream sequence and...

KING: Ah! Would you have done it?

SOMERS: Yes. Well, I called -- you know, we talked about it and I said, you know, we haven't done anything together outside of "Three's Company" for over 20 years and I feel there's a hunger for it because people's asked me all the time, "When are you and John Ritter going to get together again?" I said, "This is just a dream sequence. We're not even in the same scene together. Why don't we do a whole episode or..."

KING: Yes.

SOMERS: " ... do a movie project." So we were -- we had been talking about finding a project for the two of us. It's just so sad.

KING: I saw him on Broadway in "Dinner Party." He was -- don't you think he was kind of an underrated actor?

SOMERS: He is -- he is the -- the finest physical comic that I am aware of. I put him up there with Dick Van Dyke, who is just, you know, incredible. I don't think John ever got the real kudos for being as good as he was.

He was like playing ping-pong ball with a great player. He'd just bang the ball across the table and you better be fast to get it. And he also -- he had great joy. And, when you're on a set with John Ritter -- it is just delicious and I'm sure everyone on his series today is just devastated because John turned the room on.

He was -- he was -- the only other person I met in my life who had that same kind of charisma when he walked into the room was Sinatra. You know Sinatra and you how when he would walk in a room, it was like -- the lights went on even if it was dark? John would that, He had that it.

KING: Your differences had nothing to do with how the two -- how well the two of you worked together?

SOMERS: And, be it clear, when -- when we worked together, the entire five years I was on that show, it was beautiful. Delicious. It was -- it was the last day -- it was the mob fury created by the producers that created this whole thing that none of us even understood what it was. But what -- the chemistry that people see on that show is the chemistry we had.

I loved John Ritter. I loved him then. I love him now. And I'm so grateful to have worked with him and so glad we had the resolution. I'm so sad for his family. Oh my God. KING: It was wonderful that you were able to resolve it. How is your own health?

SOMERS: I'm doing real good, Larry. You'll be the first one to know when everything -- when I'm out of the woods. You know that.

KING: Is it a five-year thing?

SOMERS: Yes. Two more years. Two more years.

Yes, I was thinking about that today. Audra's gone -- Audra Lindley. Norman's gone. John's gone. When that came out of my mouth -- John's gone -- it took my breath away.

KING: Yes.

SOMERS: It's such a loss. It really is such a loss. And these people that drop into our lives and make us feel good, they have purpose and John had such a purpose. Everybody liked him. You won't find anybody you talk to who didn't like him. Everybody liked John. Great guy.

KING: Thanks, Suzanne. Thanks for spending time with us.

SOMERS: Thanks. Thanks a lot. Bye bye.

KING: Suzanne Somers, who co-starred with John Ritter on "Three's Company."

We'll meet other folks who worked with John in just a moment. And then Sharon Stone.

By the way, as you know, Johnny Cash also passed away. We're going to replay out last interview that John -- in fact, the last major interview Johnny Cash did will be replayed Sunday night on LARRY KING LIVE. And on Monday night, half and half. Half the show devoted to John Ritter, half devoted to Johnny Cash.

Right back with Henry Winkler, Richard Kline and Priscilla Barnes right after this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That'll be $5.25.

JOHN RITTER, ENTERTAINER: Thank you.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are those?

RITTER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I can explain.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know what you had in mind for tonight, but I am not that kind of girl.

RITTER: I can go to a locksmith. I'll bite them off!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RITTER: All right. All right. Where is she?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?

RITTER: Oh, you know who I mean. Where's Cindy? We know she's here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?

RITTER: Don't play dumb with me. We know you've got her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My -- my hearing aid. I can't hear without my hearing aid.

RITTER: Where is Cindy? We want her now!

JENILEE HARRISON, ACTRESS: Jack! Jack!

JOYCE DEWITT, ACTRESS: Come on. Let's make a run for it!

HARRISON: Jack, what are you doing to my father?

RITTER: Don't thank me now, just make -- your father?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: He was pretty good.

We now welcome to LARRY KING LIVE, Henry Winkler, actor, producer, director, longtime friend of John Ritter's. Co-starred with John on Broadway in the "Dinner Party." We saw that play. Terrific. They were on LARRY KING LIVE together to talk about it. And was set to do a guest shot -- he was set to do a guest shot on Ritter's sitcom, the new one, "8 Simple Rules."

Richard Kline is with us in Los Angeles, actor, director, friend of John's, played Larry Dallas on "Three's Company." Larry was the playboy, a used cars salesman, a good buddy to John Ritter's character, Jack Tripper.

And in Washington is Priscilla Barnes. Priscilla played Terry Alden on "Three's Company" during the last three seasons of the show. She was the nurse who roomed with Jack after Chrissy, the Suzanne Somers part, and Chrissy's ditzy cousin Cindy, moved on.

Henry, how did you come to know and work with John?

HENRY WINKLER, JOHN RITTER'S LONGTIME FRIEND: I met him at the 25th anniversary, ABC. I moved my chair back and bumped into another chair. Turned around. I said, oh my goodness, I just saw you in a promo for your new show. You fell out of frame. And from that moment on, we have been friends and we have worked together for these 25 years.

KING: I remember the night you and he were on to talk about "The Dinner Party."

WINKLER: It was the last time that we talked to you.

KING: I went to see it, and he was wonderful in that, as were you.

WINKLER: You said before, you used the word "underrated." You know, John did so many different things so well. He could fall down and make you laugh, and he could do "Sling Blade."

KING: Right.

WINKLER: And he was limitless in his ability.

KING: Richard Kline, what was it like to work with him?

RICHARD KLINE, CO-STARRED WITH JOHN RITTER: Hi, Larry. It was amazing. We had so much fun working together for eight years. The second I met him, the second I was in the rehearsal hall with him, I knew that we would have a long term relationship.

KING: Because?

KLINE: We just clicked, comically, as actors, but also, as friends. And we've been friends since 1977.

KING: Priscilla, what was it like for you to work with John Ritter?

PRISCILLA BARNES, JOHN RITTER'S CO-STAR: I can just echo what everyone has said, that he was a brilliant actor and he was brilliant at comedy and drama, but that he was a very generous actor, as well. I mean, so many performers will just work in one, where they have a set thing where -- what they are going to do and they know what they're going to do and it doesn't matter what you give them, they are going to do that thing. John would watch you. He would see something you were doing, he would react. He would laugh and he would take it to the next level. You know, he was a truly ensemble actor. He was brilliant.

KING: How did you hear about it, Henry?

WINKLER: I heard about it because I was on the set with him. I was being a...

KING: Oh, you were there?

WINKLER: ... I was a guest on his show this week. And we were having the best time together figuring it all out.

KING: This was when, yesterday?

WINKLER: This was yesterday. This was yesterday. And he said, I'm tired. And I said, you're always tired. He said, well, I just took a nap. I said, that's your favorite thing to do. And then he excused himself for a minute, and I went off to do work with the dialogue coach, and then I was rehearsing with the dialogue coach because I heard he went home early. It was his daughter's birthday yesterday, so I figured he went home to celebrate with Stella.

Then I got a call from the AD saying, from Lynn (ph) saying, you know, you were supposed to be here on Friday, today, at 11:00. Come in at 1:00. He's had a hard night. I said, fine. And the next thing I got, a phone call from the producer, Floaty Suarez (ph), who said I'm so sorry, but John is no longer with us. Wow.

KING: How did you hear, Richard?

KLINE: This morning my wife was online, AOL, and told me at 7:00 in the morning. I was on my way to physical training for my ankle, or whatever. And I was just stunned. I'm still kind of stunned. I'm usually a lot more viable than I am now, but I'm totally in shock. And John and I were at the Dodger game last month. And there was a foul ball hit directly almost like between us, and of course I reached out and tried to grab the ball, and almost took two fingers off. And John reached back behind the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), he said, do you want the ball? I said, no, give it to Stella. She would like it.

KING: Priscilla, how did you hear?

BARNES: I heard about it just this morning. I just flown in on the red eye from L.A. and I was on a connecting flight in North Carolina, and the captain had said that we had to wait on the plane because they didn't know, there was some kind of a mechanical problem.

So when we were waiting, deciding if we were going to leave or not and what they were going to do, there was a flight crew in the row ahead of me. And I kept hearing this whispering. And so it was like 4:30 a.m. my time. And you know, Ritter, John, blah blah blah. And so I was sitting next to my husband, and I leaned forward and I said, excuse me, I said, because I didn't know whether they meant their own personal friend John Ritter, because that isn't a really uncommon name.

And I said, excuse me, are you talking about John Ritter your friend, John Ritter the actor? And they said, oh, I thought that you knew. And they said that he passed away just that early -- late that night or early in the morning.

And it's just so surreal, because I was -- I had just gotten married and I was here to meet my in-laws, and you know, it's just so -- it's very surreal, it's kind of that ying and yang where you're starting hope and then you -- someone is just taken from you. It doesn't seem real.

KING: I go so far back, I interviewed his father, Tex Ritter, who sang "High Noon" in the movie that won the Academy Award, and was a great -- he grew up in show business.

WINKLER: He was dedicated to show business.

KING: What was he like to do a play with?

WINKLER: You know, most of the time what you did was you got out of the way...

KING: When you've got to do the same thing every night?

WINKLER: ... because -- I will tell you what we did. Lynn Cariu (ph) and John Ritter and I met at -- behind the set every night. We shook hands and we said, I'll see you out there for nine months. Didn't miss a night. The one thing that John was grateful. He loved what he did. He loved his children. He loved his wife, Amy, and he loved his work. You know? It's a gigantic loss. He's irreplaceable.

KING: And you can't say enough, right, Richard? I mean, there isn't enough -- words don't fit.

KLINE: For eight years on the set. One of the keynotes -- and Henry knows this, because he worked on the sitcom for quite a while -- people who had guest starred on our show occasionally would write notes to the show and say "thank you for a great time that we had on the show." It was a wonderful atmosphere on the set. And John set the tone for that. He was a gracious, funny, loving human being. And I shall miss him deeply.

WINKLER: He brought that to "8 Simple Rules." When I got there on Monday, the one word that everybody said, everybody, we are so happy. And it was all because of the tone that John set.

KING: Priscilla, life isn't fair?

BARNES: No. I was -- I was listening to Henry and I thought that he put it so eloquently. I mean, John could bring you to his knees in laughter, and yet he was a very private person. You know? He -- I think I worked on the show for like a year and a half before I knew who his dad was. And he carried around his private pain and angst. But I run into so many actors over the years, and when they see me, they always relate, you know, that they worked with him in some way, and people love him. Because he doesn't think about himself. He wants everyone to be happy on the set. He's just joy, joy, joy.

KING: Always think of him in the present tense. Thank you, Henry.

WINKLER: Oh, I'm so sorry we're here for this, but thank you.

KING: Thank you, Richard.

KLINE: Thank you, Larry.

KING: Thank you, Priscilla. BARNES: Thank you, Larry. Hello, Richie.

KLINE: Hello, Priscilla.

KING: Henry Winkler, Richard Kline, Priscilla Barnes. Suzanne Somers earlier. Sad day.

• Tribute to Johnny Cash; Interview With Joyce DeWitt

CNN LARRY KING LIVE

Tribute to Johnny Cash; Interview With Joyce DeWitt

Aired September 15, 2003 - 21:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNNY CASH: Hello, I'm Johnny Cash.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight: remembering country legend Johnny Cash with family and friends, including some who were at his private funeral service today outside Nashville. Joining us, Johnny's brother, Tommy Cash, and his sister, Joanne Cash, country star Larry Gatlin -- he named his son after Johnny Cash and he sang at today's funeral -- Naomi Judd, like Johnny Cash, she crossed over from country star to mainstream superstar, and Barbara Mandrell, who got her first touring job with Johnny Cash was she was 13, and like him, went on to host a network TV variety show, and the Reverend Franklin Graham son of renowned evangelist Billy Graham, who gave the sermon at today's funeral. And then later, Joyce DeWitt from "Three's Company" reflecting on the sudden and shocking death last week of her multi- talented co-star John Ritter. They're all next on LARRY KING LIVE.

KING: Very familiar television face joins us now. Joyce DeWitt, the actress and producer, co-starred with John Ritter in ABC's "Three's Company." She played Janet Wood. She roomed with Jack Tripper, who was played by Ritter, and Chrissy Snow, played by Suzanne Somers. How did you hear about it, Joyce?

JOYCE DEWITT, JOHN RITTER'S FORMER CO-STAR: My darling sister. My sister worked for me during the time of doing "Three's Company," and she -- her husband runs every morning. He has a little radio he puts in his ears when he runs. And he was running at 6:00, and he heard the news and went back to the house, and said, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And my sister is such a compassionate person. I -- it was so impossible to believe, that I just sat there. I just sat there and I couldn't speak. I couldn't anything. And she just kept talking to me and talking to me, and talking to me, until I could say something.

KING: When did you last see him?

DEWITT: In May. When he had gone into New York to do the up- fronts for his wonderful new series that he is doing -- was doing. And I was there for the promos for the "Three's Company" movie.

I left the hotel to run an errand, and I ran into the paparazzi, and na-na-na-na-na, you know, and as I was walking away, they said, you know, John Ritter's inside here. And that was the hotel that he was in. And that's the night the movie was going to be aired. And I called, left a message, I said, Jonathan, you're not going to believe this, I'm a block away. How can you be in New York at the same time on this day of all days? So I was getting ready to leave the hotel that night, and I got a call from him, and he said, Joycey, baby, I've got two parties to go to, several parties to go to, I got two dinners to go to, you're my date, pick you up at 7:30.

And he and Bobby Lyman (ph) came and we did the town. We went to all these places, unexpectedly.

KING: Last saw him in "The Dinner Party." He was wonderful with Henry Winkler. They appeared on this show together. It was a great show, by the way.

DEWITT: It was a wonderful show. And they were wonderful in it.

KING: What was he like to work with?

DEWITT: The best.

KING: Everyone says that.

DEWITT: But it's true. You can't say anything else, because he was just so -- very talented, it's hard to remember that he's on the other side. He was so full of joy, and love. And so ready to play all the time. And he could make fun out of anything. I mean, you walked down the street with him, and anything within his peripheral vision was a potential prop.

KING: So that comedic ability was natural?

DEWITT: Absolutely natural. It fell out of him as if -- he had no choice, he had no choice but to spread joy. It was the nature of his very being. And it was also his conscious desire. He loved relating from his heart to your heart. And his life was so about that.

KING: Also pretty good serious actor, too.

DEWITT: A marvelously talented serious actor. But people who can do comedy that well, who can go that deeply within their own heart to share, generally have a place of deep dramatic ability.

KING: What do you think they're going to do with the series? ABC is pondering now what to do.

DEWITT: I don't know.

KING: They've got two episodes done, that they think they may show, and then have him sort of die in the series.

DEWITT: Yes. Yes. I was talking with his producers yesterday, which John loved, by the way, doing this new show. When we were in New York -- and by the way, two nights later, I do want to say this, we went to the theater with his wonderful wife, Amy, so we were together these two different nights, Amy and Bobby Lyman (ph) again, and so I wouldn't want us not say that the last time I was with him was the joy of being with he and Amy together, because -- and Bob Lyman (ph), his dear, exquisite friend.

KING: What do you think they're going to do with the show?

DEWITT: With the show, you know, they -- yesterday they really were just trying to get through this weekend of things of this nature. And this week they will have to put their heads on that. But my heart goes out to them, because to have the personal situation, and then the business situation...

KING: You're a producer. What do you think they should do?

DEWITT: I don't know. I've thought about it, just because I met all of them in May and loved them all so much instantly. And he loved them so much. There's the possibility, you know, of looking for someone. But those are huge shoes to fill.

KING: Are they huge. "Three's Company," when you look back, that was racy, wasn't it?

DEWITT: In that day. Not anymore. But people now say, oh, we love your show. Why isn't it still on? It's so clean, it's so safe. And I was thinking, when we were on...

KING: That was a T&A show, right?

DEWITT: In the day, that's what they called it, yeah.

KING: Was that as happy and ensemble as it appeared, even though you had the break-up with Suzanne?

DEWITT: Yes. Even though there were two or three times where the situation there got very difficult and stressful for us, if you add all that together it would maybe come to one season. And we did eight seasons. So there are seven years, other than perhaps that one added all together year, but seven years of extraordinary joy. And just playing full-out all the time, led by John Ritter. Led by this incredible talent who came in every day to make sure everybody was taken care of and everybody was included, with genius falling out of him when he was having a cup of coffee or a doughnut. He was still being brilliant. He couldn't help it. Because his heart was so big.

KING: How did you get the part?

DEWITT: ABC actually saw an audition -- I did an episode of "Baretta."

KING: "Baretta?"

DEWITT: How about that? We won't go there. And he -- ABC saw it, and -- but they were really into comedy at the time, it was a dramatic role. And then I auditioned for the Fonze's girlfriend, Pepinte Caskinero (ph), and I was really wrong for the part. There were all these really, well-built women there, and I was like this short, little, chubby, brown-haired thing. And -- but before I got -- but I knew how to be Italian, certainly, I am, you know, and I know how to be funny. So before I got home, ABC had called to ask me not to work for another network until they found a show for me. So it was -- and I was a kid.

KING: Was "Three's Company" a hit from the start?

DEWITT: Yes. Yes. It was the second week that it was on, it went into the top 20, and then into the top 10, and stayed there for seven years. It was...

KING: It was very well written.

DEWITT: We had exquisite writers. Really, Larry, you would have loved to coming to visit. Our guest stars -- we -- the letters we got from after they guest starred were so amazing, because the entire ensemble, the cast, the crew, the staff, the brilliant crew that we worked with, our producers, who did the final rewrite on everything, it was an amazing family. And the amount of joy that was shared there, day after day after day -- that's why I think the show was such a hit. People watch it and they feel that. They know that we were playing as hard as we could.

KING: It's almost -- Johnny Cash was sick, and looked sick, you know. And was 71. That's young, but he was 70. John Ritter?

DEWITT: I know.

KING: That shouldn't have happened.

DEWITT: You know, Susan Wilcox (ph), his dear friend and assistant for a million years -- that's the thing -- one of the things that tells you about a person acting, very much about who they are, the people around them, their closest friends, their associates have been with them since high school or college. That's John Ritter. The people in his life have been with him, friends and staff, and associates, that long. You don't leave John Ritter, you love him so much, you're so lucky to be near him. But Susan said yesterday that he went out on such a high, because he loved this new show. It was such a hit. He was so with his soul mate, Amy, this beautiful little daughter, three older kids who were absolutely exquisite. A marvelous relationship...

(CROSSTALK)

KING: Are you going to do a memorial service?

DEWITT: Yes. But we don't know when yet, because it's going to be quite a large event.

KING: Oh, I'll bet.

DEWITT: In keeping with the rather huge wonderment that was John Ritter.

KING: Not soon forgotten.

DEWITT: Impossible to forget. Impossible not to love.

KING: Thank you for sharing these moments with us, Joyce. DEWITT: Thank you, Larry.

KING: Joyce DeWitt, the actress and producer who starred with John Ritter in ABC's "Three's Company." We'll always remember Janet Wood, who roomed with Jack Tripper, who was John Ritter, and Chrissy Snow, who was Suzanne Somers.

I'll be back in a couple of minutes to tell you about what's coming up tomorrow night. Don't go away.