John Ritter was an actor and comedian best known for his role as Jack Tripper on the sitcom "Threes Company". On September 11, 2003, Ritter suddenly fell ill on the set of his TV show "8 Simple Rules" in Burbank, California, and died hours later of an aortic dissection. An aortic dissection is a tear in the inner layer of the aorta, which can cause blood to flow between the layers of the aortic wall, leading to aortic rupture or decreased blood flow to organs. Initially, doctors thought he was experiencing a heart attack, but the treatment for that did not help his condition and may have made things worse. Ritter was only 54 years old when he died.

Ritter had four children before his death: Jason, Carly, Tyler, and Noah. His family blamed his doctors for his death and filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking $67 million in damages from the two doctors who treated him. The family claimed that a cardiologists failure to order a chest X-ray on Ritter led to his death from a torn aorta, along with a radiologists failure to adequately warn him two years earlier that he was in danger from an enlarged aorta. However, the jury cleared the doctors of any wrongdoing.

Ritter had starred in over 100 films and television series in total, leaving behind a legacy that was still cut short too early. He had also performed on Broadway and made a number of guest appearances on shows before getting his big break. The next sitcom Ritter is probably remembered best for is "8 Simple Rules," which helped launch the career of Kaley Cuoco, who played his eldest daughter. Although the show had three seasons, Ritter died just before season two began airing. He had filmed three episodes for that season, with the final one airing one month after his death. His character, Paul, was killed off on the show, and the rest of the season dealt with the fallout of his death.