September 12th, 2003

COME AND KNOCK ON OUR DOOR:  REFLECTIONS ON JOHN RITTER

"I knew when I grew up, I always wanted to be a liar, and if you're in television, you're lying because you're just pretending to be yourself, much like I'm doing now".
- John Ritter

This is simply madness!

Each day I set my alarm to coincide with the news so that I can hear what's going on in the world first thing in the morning. It's a good way to stay aware.  This morning, through my dazed state, I heard the news report of Johnny Cash's death. I immediately thought of my pal Aaron Alford, the man who introduced me to majesty of the man in black. But, to tell the truth, it was really no secret that Johnny Cash had been very ill so, while sad, I was not what you would call surprised.  I just chalked it up to another of the relentless attacks by the grim reaper on the celebrity community. 2003 has been a brutal year for celebrity deaths.  The truth about Johnny Cash was that he had lived a good long life; he has transcended from country singer to living ledged and he had inspired thousands of people in his life time. I felt comfort knowing that Johnny Cash had lived a full life, as well as the fact that he could now be with June Carter in some other existence.  However, I'm not here to talk about Johnny Cash.  I think we'll hear a lot about him for the next week, and for a long time to come.

However, the next piece of news, for some very odd reason, chilled me to the bone and changed my outlook on the onslaught of celebrity deaths. I am, of course, talking about the sudden death of John Ritter last night.

Damn.

Now, I am not writing this as a John Ritter fan. I mean, John Ritter wasn't one of those guys that had the most gigantic legion of fans as much as he found his notability in being a recognizable face on the Hollywood landscape. However, for some reason, I feel John Ritter's death is the most tragic celebrity death of the year - truly tragic.

This is the way I look at it.   Its not a far stretch to say that John Ritter's most famous role, "Threes Company" character Jack Tripper, is one of those great iconic characters of the 1970's. Jack Tripper was truly unique, combining 70's womanizing machismo and the emergence of the 80's sensitive male together in a snapshot of life in an eerie point set between the sexual revolution and the reality of the AIDS scare. Jack Tripper was the great macho stud.  He was all guy, but understanding enough to live with women.  He was the kind of guy that women wanted to meet, and guys wanted to set up with their sisters.  Most of all, Jack Tripper was a snapshot of the roles that John Ritter played best - the nice, normal, funny guy.  "Three's Company" was never brilliant like "All in the Family," or "Mary Tyler Moore," but it had its merits, and made for great television kitsch.

At best John Ritter was a likeable guy. It wasn't possible to hate John Ritter. I remember being thrilled every time I saw him - popping up on everything from "The Walton's" to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer.".  I mean, perhaps John Ritter wasn't my favorite actor, but he was always a warm entity to come across in the pop culture journey.  Most of all, John Ritter was familiar.  Kind of a like your favorite sweater - warm, comfortable and familiar.

Yet this is the tragedy of John Ritter to me. After years of hiatus in the Hollywood scene John Ritter had just managed to find himself starring on a new successful sitcom, "Eight Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter". Now, I can't say I've ever seen the show.  I have no insight on this program to express to you today.   I don't watch sitcoms.  However, I do remember being really happy last year when that show took off for John. Sitting here and looking at the this week's fall preview issue of TV Guide it states that the second season of Ritter's show is to start in two weeks. It was on the set of "Eight Simple Rules" that John Ritter had the heart attack that ended his life last night. I just find it so disturbing and tragic that this man could rebuild his career after a fifteen year hiatus, only to have his life cut short. It shows us the fragility of mortality. No one is completely secure. When our time is up its time to go and it can happen to anyone at anytime.  It doesn't matter what we have going on in our world at the time.

Over the summer I have had a kind of sadistic pleasure over the celebrity death phenomena that we've been witnessing. Ever since the death of Gregory Peck in June there has been a celebrity death every two weeks or less. However, today I kind of feel differently about it. I don't find it a curiosity as much as a tragedy. For the most part these are the deaths of very talented people who did a lot in their lives to entertain us. I am filled with a profound amount of sadness this morning. After rising from bed I stopped in front of the "Threes Company" cast photo that hangs in my hall and looked into John Ritter's laughing face. To think that we are living in a world without John Ritter just feels so odd and unreal.

However, for the record (for those keeping track), this is the third celebrity death this week, if you count controversial filmmaker Leni Refinstahl who died at age 101 on Monday, and two weeks after the death of Charles Bronson.  Also, this is the second time in recent history  that two major celebrities died on the same day. The last time was in 1989 with the deaths of Sammy Davis Jr and Jim Henson.

Anyhow friends, this madness really has to stop. I think it would be nice to go an entire month without reading a celebrity obituary. I've had my fill of this. Lets keep our fingers crossed. Lets hold on to our celebrities from here on in - alright? Is everybody with me?  Celebrity death pool stops....now!