John Ritter

Johnathan Southworth "John" Ritter was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for his television roles as Jack Tripper on the ABC sitcom  and as Paul Hennessy on the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. He was also well-known for voicing the titular protagonist of the animated children's series ' and the animated film ' from 2000 to 2003. Additionally, he appeared in the horror miniseries  as the adult version of Ben Hanscom.

For Disney, he portrayed Roger in the 1971 film, The Barefoot Executive (his film debut), and voiced Great Uncle Stew in the Playhouse Disney film Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up. The latter was his final film and it was dedicated to his memory. He also appeared on some television specials in the 1980s, including guest-starring on Donald Duck's 50th Birthday in 1984, playing Dudley Goode in Mickey's 60th Birthday, and hosting Disney's Living Seas in 1986. Additionally, he played Bob Chipeska in  and co-starred in Sling Blade. The former was his final live-action role and was also dedicated to his memory.

He is also the son of actor and musician , and the father of actors Jason Ritter, Tyler Ritter, and singer Carly Ritter.

On September 11, 2003, Ritter felt ill while rehearsing scenes for the second season of 8 Simple Rules. He was sweating profusely and vomiting, and complained of having chest pains and was rushed to the Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (the same hospital he was born in). Doctors believed Ritter suffered a heart attack, but it turned out it was actually an aortic dissection, and he died that evening during the surgery. He was 54 years old, six days shy of his 55th birthday.

Trivia

 * Shortly after Ritter's death, Amy Yasbeck founded the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health in honor of him and to give other people life-saving reminders to recognize, treat, and prevent thoracic aortic dissection .