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Actor John Ritter Dies

By Melissa Block
Published September 11, 2003 at 9:00 PM MST

Actor John Ritter, whose portrayal of the bumbling bachelor Jack Tripper helped make the TV sitcom Three's Company a hit in the 1970s, dies at age 54 of a previously undetected heart problem. Ritter became ill Thursday while working on the set of his current show, 8 Simple Rules ... For Dating My Teenage Daughter. NPR's Melissa Block has a remembrance.

Copyright 2003 NPR
Melissa Block
As special correspondent and guest host of NPR's news programs, Melissa Block brings her signature combination of warmth and incisive reporting. Her work over the decades has earned her journalism's highest honors, and has made her one of NPR's most familiar and beloved voices.
See stories by Melissa Block