Post by Bluejay on Jul 13, 2005 20:07:03 GMT -5
John Ritter was born just a cab ride away from the Motion Picture and Television studios in Burbank, California that would eventually make him a star. The date was September 17th 1948; country music recording artist and actor Tex Ritter and his actress wife Dorothy Fay welcomed a son into this world and named him John. He joined older brother Tom in the Ritter household. Tom, it was discovered, had cerebral palsy, a condition that, in Tom’s case, had an impact on his walking. In later years both Tom and John would devote countless hours to raising awareness and money to help those with CP.
John Ritter was an amazing individual. Amazing in many ways; as an actor, a father, a husband, a brother, a son, a humanitarian and a friend. He genuinely cared about people, when you spoke with John he was truly interested in what you had to say. Kassie first met John fourteen years ago when she appeared on the United Cerebral Palsy telethon, which John hosted along with Henry Winkler and Nancy Dussault. Year after year Kassie appeared on the program – and year after year John treated her with kindness and fun-loving respect. Kassie always maintained a soft spot in her heart for John even though she’d see him just once or twice a year. John graciously sat for an interview with the producers of “Give A Chance..a little girl’s journey" to discuss not only Kassie, but what life was like growing up with a brother (Tom Ritter) who had cerebral palsy. His insight was truly remarkable. When John sat with his wife, Amy, and watched the completed project, he called Kassie’s Mom and asked if he could do an on-camera introduction to the documentary. Arrangements were being made to accommodate his request when tragedy struck.
On September 11, 2003 John complained of fatigue and chest pains during rehearsal for his hit ABC Television sit-com “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter”. Fearing he was having a heart attack, John was transported to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, which is literally across the street from the studio where he was working. It wasn’t a heart attack – doctors discovered a previously unrecognized heart abnormality, called an “aorta dissection” or tear in the main artery to the heart. John was rushed into an operating room, but surgeons could not save his life. He was just four days shy of his 55th birthday. The nation mourned, not at the loss of a celebrity, but at the loss of a friend.