John Ritter, best known for playing Jack Tripper on Three’s Company from 1977 to 1984, earned both an Emmy and a Golden Globe in 1984 for the role.
His career was cut short on September 11, 2003, when he collapsed during a rehearsal for 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors first suspected a heart attack. Later that night, Ritter died at the age of 54 in Burbank, California. The cause was determined to be an aortic dissection linked to an undiagnosed congenital heart defect.
At the time of his death, Ritter was married to his second wife, actress Amy Yasbeck, with whom he shared a child. Since losing him, Yasbeck has chosen not to remarry. Speaking to PEOPLE in 2022, she admitted, “I miss John as a partner,” reflecting on life without him nearly two decades later.
A few years after his passing, Yasbeck pursued legal action against Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center and the doctors who treated Ritter. She filed a $67 million wrongful death lawsuit, claiming his condition was misdiagnosed. Several defendants later settled for a combined $14 million, including a $9.4 million settlement from Providence St. Joseph. In 2008, a jury ultimately sided with the physicians, ruling 9–3 in their favor.
Who Is John Ritter’s Wife, Amy Yasbeck?
Amy Yasbeck, a film and television actress, was John Ritter’s second wife. Their paths first crossed in 1990 at director Dennis Dugan’s home during a table read for Problem Child. Not long after, they worked together on the movie, playing a married couple. What started as chemistry on screen soon grew into a real romance once filming wrapped.
A few years later, their relationship turned into a family. On September 11, 1998, they welcomed a daughter named Stella. In time, she transitioned and now goes by Noah Lee Ritter.
Just one year after Noah’s birth, Ritter and Yasbeck made their relationship official. They were married on September 18, 1999, at the Murphy Theatre in Wilmington, Ohio, not far from Yasbeck’s hometown.
Yasbeck has often reflected on what made her bond with Ritter so special. She said comedy was always at the center of it. She also remembered how her late husband enjoyed teaching her the finer points of physical humor — from pratfalls to fake punches to a perfectly timed spit take. For Yasbeck, those moments were proof she “was learning that kind of stuff, physical comedy from the master, which John was.”
That love for comedy also showed up in their work together. After Problem Child, they reunited for Problem Child 2 in 1991 and appeared side by side in an episode of The Cosby Show that same year. Later, Ritter guest-starred on Wings, playing Yasbeck’s estranged husband in the season-seven episode “Love Overboard.”
Amy Yasbeck’s Life After Her Husband’s Death
After Ritter’s death, Amy Yasbeck chose not to pursue another relationship. She has explained that the idea of dating again feels difficult, as John’s absence is still deeply felt.. In an interview with PEOPLE, she admitted, “I don’t date. I mean, it could happen. I’m not in the mood. I think I would miss John more if I was dating, as weird as that sounds. But because I always feel like he’s with me, and that would be weird because in that case, three is not company.”
Even while coping with grief, Yasbeck continued working in Hollywood. She took on roles in projects such as Life on a Stick (2005), That’s So Raven (2007), Hot in Cleveland (2010), and Modern Family (2013). Her last credited television appearance during that period was in 2016, when she guest-starred in an episode of Pretty Little Liars. After that, she stepped back from acting to focus on family life, though she expressed interest in returning to the screen.
In 2025, Yasbeck returned to the screen with a role in Jonathan Hammond’s short film Fireflies in the Dusk.
First Wife Nancy Morgan
John Ritter married actress Nancy Morgan on October 16, 1977, after the two were introduced through friends in the acting world. Their marriage lasted nearly two decades before ending in divorce in 1996.
Together, they raised three children: Jason Ritter, born February 17, 1980, who went on to become an actor; Carly Ritter, born March 1, 1982, who pursued music; and Tyler Ritter, born January 31, 1985, who also became an actor.
Morgan was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in April 1949. She built a strong career in both television and film, beginning with her role as Julie in the 1977 series The San Pedro Beach Bums. She later appeared in Romance Theatre (1982) and played Lotta Legs in Lucky Luke (1992). Her film credits include Fraternity Row, Grand Theft Auto, The Nest, Good Dick, and several others. On television, she made guest appearances in shows such as McMillan and Wife, Good Times, and Diff’rent Strokes.
Beyond their marriage, Morgan and Ritter also worked together professionally. They co-starred in the film Americathon and in the television movies The Dreamer of Oz and Heartbeat. For many years, the couple also hosted the national United Cerebral Palsy Telethon.
