actors, but his formal TV debut was on Dan August (1970).  Before landing his break out role as Jack Tripper on Three’s Company (1977-1984), Ritter made numerous TV appearances, including M*A*S*H (1973), The Bob Newhart Show (1974), Starsky and Hutch (1976), and The Waltons(1976), where he had a recurring role as Rev. Matthew Fordwick.  But it was as loveable goof Jack Tripper that he earned his fame.   For seven seasons Ritter, slipped, tripped, and fumbled his way to stardom and multiple award nominations, winning both an Emmy and a Golden Globe in 1984.  Ritter parlayed his popularity into a film career, with roles in Americathon (1979), Hero at Large (1980), They All Laughed (1981), Problem Child I and II (1990, 1992), and Noises Off (1992).  After the Three’s Company era (including spin-off Three’s A Crowd), Ritter went on to star in three more sitcoms, Hooperman (1987), Hearts Afire (1992-1995), and 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter (2003).  While on Hearts Afire, Ritter met Billy Bob Thornton who would later cast him in the Academy Award winning film Sling Blade (1996).  The two worked together again in Ritter’s final film, Bad Santa (2003).  On September 11, 2003, while working on the set of 8 Simple Rules, Ritter fell ill and later died from an undiagnosed heart condition.  Twice married, he is survived by ex-wife Nancy Morgan and their three children, Jason, Carly, and Tyler and by his second wife Amy Yasbeck, and their daughter, Stella.