John Ritter was a beloved television actor until his untimely death in 2003 at the age of 54,
and his father was a country music singer by the name of Tex Ritter. Although both Tex
and John found careers in the entertainment industry, Tex considered acting beneath him
and discouraged his son from pursuing a career in the field. John persisted anyways and eventually
managed to win his father's respect before the latter's death. John and Tex both died of the
same type of heart failure, and John's widow has spent the years since dedicating her life
to trying to find out more about the genetic anomaly that caused their deaths. Join Facts
Verse as we explore how John Ritter lost his father’s respect but managed to earn it back.
Tex Ritter was born in Texas on January 12, 1905. He went on to become a famous country singer,
most memorably lending his singing voice to the title theme of the film High Noon.
Despite Tex’s high-profile association with
Hollywood as a result of his singing of the title theme to High Noon, Tex never had much respect
for actors. When he appeared on the Academy Awards broadcast following his High Noon gig
to perform the hit song, the country singer likely thought he was better than everyone in the room.
Tex only had one wife during his lifetime, and they were married until the singer's
death in 1974. Her name was Dorothy Fay, and the two were married in June of 1941. Together,
Tex and Dorothy had two children, brothers John and Tom Ritter. Of course, John Ritter is the one
who went on to become the more famous of the two. John's fame even surpassed that of his father,
though John carved out his pathway in a different niche. John followed in his father’s footsteps
by pursuing a career in the entertainment industry but preferred acting to singing.
According to the late John Ritter, his father felt that acting was something that wasn’t a worthwhile
pursuit for any man. However, that didn't stop John from switching courses during his college
years from pursuing a career in psychology to pursuing a career in the dramatic arts. This
switch occurred in the late 1960s, and John would slowly rise to prominence throughout the 1970s.
Some might wonder why Tex thought acting was so much worse than singing,
and this discrepancy was never quite explained! However, it appears that Tex would’ve most likely
preferred for John to pursue a career completely outside of the entertainment
industry in general, like his brother did. John's brother, Tom, went on to become a lawyer
and found much success in the field. Perhaps Tex had grown opposed to all aspects of the
entertainment industry and simply didn’t want to see John follow in his footsteps to any degree.
While it's hard to deny that pursuing a career in law would generally be a safer life choice
than trying to become a famous Hollywood actor,
things ended up turning out okay for John Ritter! John had a passion for acting,
claiming that it was the second-oldest profession known to man. Although John never became a highly
respected dramatic actor during his lifetime, he found consistent success on dramatic television.
He even appeared in a few notable films before his death in 2003 from heart failure.
During the early 1970s, John Ritter could be seen on such notable television series as The Mary
Tyler Moore Show and M*A*S*H. He was also given a recurring role as a character by the name of
Reverend Matthew Fordwick on the hit series The Waltons. It was this role that allowed John to
win over his father's respect before the latter's death in 1974. Tex Ritter died of heart failure
and the exact same kind that would later claim John. The specific type of heart failure would
also affect John's brother, though John's brother would end up being saved from death by surgery.
As a religious man, Tex Ritter found favor in John’s performance as the character of
Reverend Matthew Fordwick on The Waltons. Whether Tex Ritter was truly moved by the
performance or simply wanted to find some common ground with his son as he was passing away,
the results were the same. John confided in his father while the latter was dying
that acting was the only thing that he knew how to do, and his father finally accepted
it. John’s fame would increase greatly in the years after his father’s 1974 death,
though he would sadly pass away from the same affliction decades later. If you’re enjoying this
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Several years after his father’s passing in 1974, John Ritter would receive his big break.
John’s big break came in the form of his iconic role on the 1977 comedy television series Three’s
Company, which cast the actor alongside fellow burgeoning star Suzanne Somers. The two would rise
to immense prominence on the program, which aired on ABC. After the program’s end, the
two would maintain success in the entertainment industry in one form or another. In addition
to trying his hand in a few other television series during the 1980s, John also broke out
into film during the 1990s with roles in such notable hits as Problem Child and Sling Blade.
John Ritter became a parent himself in 1980, having his first child with his wife,
Nancy Morgan. Nancy is a fellow television actress, and she and John were married from
1977 to 1996. During their nearly two-decade marriage, the two had three children together.
John made a pact to be more supportive to his children than his father had been to him,
no matter what his children wanted to be when they grew up!
John and Nancy's first child was named Jason. Jason was followed by sister Carly in 1982,
and by brother Tyler in 1985. After John and Nancy's divorce in 1996, John would go on
to remarry. John's second wife was a woman by the name of Amy Yasbeck, and she and John had
a daughter together named Stella. John and Amy got married in 1999, and John stepped into the
new millennium optimistic about the future. This optimism would pay off, as the actor was given a
role in 2002 that would rocket him back into the spotlight. Sadly, he would die only a year later.
Stella was born on September 11, 1998, and her parents didn't officially tie the knot
until the following year. In 2002, John's career was given an incredible boost when
he was given the lead role on the show 8 Simple Rules. After decades of being in the background,
John was once again at the forefront as a major television star. Sadly, John wouldn’t make it
through the show’s second season. On Stella’s fifth birthday, John began feeling nauseous
during the filming of 8 Simple Rules and had to be rushed to the hospital. He died that day.
As Amy remembers it, John felt terrible that he was ruining his last daughter's
fifth birthday. However, something much worse ended up happening than the mere spoiling of a
birthday party. Amy and John used sign language to express their love to one
another as John was being brought into his hospital room. At the time, it didn't seem
like anything too urgent was occurring. However, Amy has recalled that she later
noticed doctors appearing increasingly tense and heard an emergency code called over the speaker.
Their sign language expressions of love to one another ended up being the last moment
that John Ritter and his second wife ever shared. John ended up dying of the same
type of heart failure as his father, which apparently caught the doctors by surprise
before they could do anything. John’s brother, Tom, had also suffered the same type of heart
failure but had been saved by emergency surgery. This led John’s family to believe
that the doctors had failed the late actor, and they subsequently formed a suit against them.
The wrongful death suit that John's family formed against the doctors that presided over him at
the time of his death alleged that they failed to perform a scan that could've resulted in emergency
surgery that would've saved his life. In addition to monetary compensations for emotional damages,
the suit also asked for compensation for the money that John would've made from
the continued success of 8 Simple Rules. The suit didn’t end up going anywhere,
with the cause of John’s death being attributed more to the genetic anomaly that had afflicted
him and his brother and father than any malpractice of the doctors presiding over him.
Since her late husband's death, Amy Yasbeck has advocated for more
research into the genetic anomaly that led to his passing. Perhaps she is worried that the
same genetic anomaly will also affect daughter Stella, who has now undergone gender affirmation
surgery and is now known as Noah. All four of John Ritter's children are still with us,
and Tom Ritter is still around, as well! Amy truly believes that if the doctors
had managed to perform the right test on her late husband, he would still be with us today.
Although country singer Tex Ritter never fully approved of his son John getting into acting, they
ended up finding common ground in more ways than one! Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know
that John Ritter’s father was a country singer by the name of Tex Ritter, and did you know that
they both died from the same type of heart failure? As always,
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