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Our Viewers Voice Awards were announced last week and ABC’s “8 Simples Rules… For Dating My Teenage Daughter” won for Favorite Half-Hour Primetime Show and John Ritter won for Favorite Actor in a Comedy Series. The night I talked to a lady in production at Touchstone Television, where the show is taped, about going over to the set of “8 Simple Rules” to present the awards, John Ritter died. I can’t express enough how bad I felt the next morning when I turned on my TV set and heard the news. I was shocked; he must have taken ill on the set shortly after I hung up the phone. We talked around 7:00 p.m. and John died shortly after 10:00 p.m. He underwent surgery for a tear in his aorta, a rare medical condition that can hit without warning.

I met John a few times on different TV set that he appeared on; he was one of the nicest actors I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. I remember the first time in 1991 was on the set of “Anything But Love” starring Jamie Lee Curtis and John was a guest on the show. I remember how much fun it was watching him act, he was not only funny but was a very physical performer. In one scene he came running onto the set and threw himself across a desk and fell off. I remember thinking he must have received a good bruise on that contact. He just jumped right back up, brushed himself off and with a smile face continued his lines.  

In 1992 we went to the taping of “Hearts of Fire” which starred Ritter and Markey Post.

Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and Harry Thomason were the executive producers of the series and good friends of Viewers Voice. After the taping they introduced us to John and he was just the sweetest man; made a person feel like an old friend.

One time a few Viewers Voice members and I went over to Jerry’s Famous Deli in Studio City for dinner and John was there eating with a friend. We didn’t go over to his table because we didn’t want to bother him; instead he came over by us and asked how we were doing. Not many stars would be gracious enough to do something like that.

John Ritter is a person and star that Viewers Voice will truly miss and will not forget. The characters he portrayed and John himself will live in our hearts forever. I personally lost my sister, Dorothy Polaski, who I was extremely close too, in June, so I feel his family’s grief and send my love, thoughts and prayers out to them. 

I just heard today that ABC has decided to continue the production of its popular comedy series,”8 Simple for Dating My Teenage Daughter.” The series will continue to lead off ABC’s lineup. The final three episodes completed by John Ritter will sequentially beginning with the season premiere on Tuesday, September 23 at 7:00-7:30 p.m., CST. Each of these episodes will open with a special introduction by members of the cast. Following in the fourth week will be an hour long show into the Hennessy household dealing with the death of a beloved father and how life goes on.

Amy Yasbeck, John Ritter’s wife said, “John always dealt with anything that life threw at him with humor. He believed in this show and its message that a strong family can get through anything. He felt so lucky to be working with such wonderful people every day. They all had such a warm friendship, and I know John would want his friends to be able to continue doing what they love.”

In discussing the announcement, Ms. Susan Lyne, president of ABC entertainment said, “John Ritter’s death was such a huge personal loss for all of us who worked with him that addressing its impact on our schedule was all the more difficult.”

Ms. Lyne continued, “Ever since we re-set our course to embrace the audience and sensibility that built this network, John Ritter and “8 Simple Rules…” have been at the heart of our effort: a family sitcom that celebrated the complicated, sometimes misguided heroics of parenting today. The millions of Americans who invited the Hennessys into their homes each week watched to laugh, but we suspect they also watched because the show celebrated the struggles that go into making any family work. We have an opportunity now to get to know the Hennessy’s in a way that is very rare on television, to see how a strong family deals with unexpected tragedy. We don’t pretend to have a road map here; as in life, we will take an episode at a time and find laughs where they feel natural and right. We suspect John was a big enough force that his presence and spirit will be felt on “8 Simple Rules…” for a long time to come. His television family, play by Katey Sagal, Kaley Cuoco, Amy Davidson, and Martin Spanjers, will make sure of it.”

“There is no question that John Ritter is irreplaceable,” said Stephen McPherson, president, Touchstone Television. “But after all in-depth discussion with the cast, the executive producers and John’s wife, Amy, we all decided John would have wanted us to go on with the show that he loved so much.”

The family decided to have a private service for John, four days after his sudden death and a public memorial service is being planned. The family has to be completely devastated and you can’t blame them for not wanting to make it a circus event with the press. ABC did a wonderful one-hour tribute to John with host Diane Sawyer: “A Life of Laughter: Remembering John Ritter.” The tribute replaced a rerun of “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter” last Tuesday.

John’s youngest daughter, Stella, by his current marriage to Amy Yasbeck, turned 5 years-old the day John died. That’s going to be a rough birthday for that youngster for the rest of her life. John had three other children by a previous marriage to Nancy Morgan, Jason, Carly and Tyler. Jason, 23 years-old, can be seen on the new CBS series Joan of Arcadia.”

John’s 55^th Birthday was the Wednesday after his death, way to young to die. Until my next column let your voice be heard.