TV star John Ritter- Dead at 54 – What will the Entertainment World do without him?

 By Stella Adewolu- Editor 

One of America's best-liked TV stars, both by viewers and co-workers, Ritter's sudden death from an undiagnosed heart condition has left an unexpected hole in television's schedule that will be hard to fill. Obviously, his demise has people wondering what will happen to his ABC sitcom, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, but the void goes beyond the fate of one show or one season. There was a good reason for that assumption. A reliably skilled comic actor, Ritter was one of only a handful of TV stars who was able to transfer his skills from one hit to the next. Most actors' careers would have been complete with Three's Company, one of the 70’s era most popular sitcoms. But Ritter followed Company with two more hits, Heart's Afire, 8 Simple Rules,  and he also starred in a rather short lived sitcom called Hooperman.

Ritter's comedic gifts, of course, were obvious on Three’s Company, so much so that they earned him an Emmy. He had an impeccable sense of timing that only improved with age, and this was coupled with an unusual ability to appear seemingly stable yet look easily flustered. And, of course, there was his flair for pratfalls, and his willingness to do or dress in anything, no matter how ridiculous, all for a joke. Still, while his talents were formidable, they don't completely account for his longevity or popularity.

Most celebrity friends will tell you that his popularity was based more firmly, perhaps, on his personality — on the way he struck viewers as being good-hearted and good-natured. That doesn't mean, however, that his acting skills were limited to comedy roles. He gave a fine dramatic performance in the miniseries It, and also had significant roles in full length movies such as Sling Blade, and as a homicidal "perfect husband" robot on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Ritter, who was the son of singing-cowboy star Tex Ritter, is survived by his wife, Amy Yasbeck and their daughter, Stella. He is also survived by three children from his first marriage to Nancy Morgan — Carly, Tyler and Jason.