RIP John Ritter

[moe.ron]

'Three's Company' actor John Ritter dies of 54

Actor John Ritter, who starred in the sitcom "Three's Company" in the 1970s and early '80s has died, according to news reports.
ABC News and MSNBC reported the death shortly after 4:30 a.m. this morning. Details of his death were not immediately available.

Ritter, 54, son of country singer and actor Tex Ritter, recently starred in ABC's "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter."

Jonathan Southworth Ritter was born in Burbank, Calif., on Sept. 17, 1948.

John was enrolled at Hollywood High School, where he was a student body president, and later attended the University of Southern California, where he majored in Psychology and minored in Architecture.

After taking an acting class he changed his major to Theater Arts, graduating in 1971 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama.

He also studied acting with Stella Adler at the Harvey Lembeck Comedy Workshop. Between 1968 and 1969, he appeared in a series of stage plays in England, Scotland, Holland and in Germany.

He is survived by his wife, actress Amy Yasbeck, and four children.