Johnny Cash and John Ritter bite the dust

[Mercurygriffin]

Jonny Cash:
Country music legend Johnny Cash died of complications from diabetes, which resulted in respiratory failure, Sept. 12 at age 71 in Nashville. While known as the Man in Black with hits such as "Ring of Fire," "I Walk the Line" and "A Boy Named Sue," Cash became a man of strong faith.

In May, Cash lost his wife of 35 years, June Carter Cash. At her funeral, Courtney Wilson, former pastor of First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., recalled how 36 years ago he met June and Johnny, and one Sunday while Johnny was recovering from a bout with drug abuse, June persuaded him to go to church with her. He didn't want to get back into the public so soon, but she said they'd go late and sit in the back. They did, and Wilson preached a sermon about the living water of Christ. Johnny remembered that sermon and wrote about it in a book in later years, Wilson said.

Cash once noted that his favorite Scripture verse was Romans 8:13, which says, "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live...."

"Years ago I claimed this Scripture as my own promise, and I feel there were many times a lifesaving situation was realized by turning to this Scripture for counsel," Cash said in a 1997 devotional book called "Lamp Unto My Feet" by Art Toalston. "In other words, the Scriptures, or God speaking through them, have saved my life. This Scripture, especially."

President Bush released the following statement upon Cash's death: "Johnny Cash was a music legend and American icon whose career spanned decades and genres. His resonant voice and human compassion reached the hearts and souls of generations, and he will be missed. Laura joins me in sending our thoughts and prayers to his family."

Cash was born during the Depression in 1932 in Kingsland, Ark. His parents took advantage of a New Deal farm program, according to CNN.com, and the family farmed cotton during the day and sang hymns on the porch at night.

After three years in the Air Force, Cash moved to Memphis, Tenn., where he sold appliances door-to-door while trying to break into the music business. In 1954, CNN.com recounted, Cash auditioned for Sam Phillips at Sun Records, hoping to record some simple gospel songs. Phillips, who had discovered Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, pushed Cash toward a more commercial sound.

By 1956, Cash had his first No. 1 hit with "I Walk the Line," and by 1958, he had published 50 songs, sold more than 6 million records and moved to the Columbia label.

He toured worldwide and succumbed to the hectic pace of fame by becoming dependent on mood-altering drugs that harmed his career and ended his first marriage. By 1967, Cash had overcome his addiction with the help of June Carter, who was his singing partner at the time. The next year, the two were married, and Cash made a comeback in his career.

In the fall of 1969, Cash outsold even the Beatles as the hottest act in the world, CNN.com reported. His work accounted for 5 percent of all record sales in the United States that year.

In 1973, Cash co-wrote and produced a film based on the life of Jesus called "The Gospel Road." He narrated while Carter played the role of Mary Magdelene.

Cash explained his affinity for black clothing in his 1971 hit "Man in Black" when he said it symbolized the downtrodden people in the world.

"Everybody was wearing rhinestones, all those sparkle clothes and cowboy boots," he said in 1986. "I decided to wear a black shirt and pants and see if I could get by with it. I did and I've worn black clothes ever since."

By the end of his life, Cash had recorded more than 1,500 songs which appeared on nearly 500 albums, won 10 Grammy Awards and had 14 No. 1 country music hits. He was in the process of recording another album when he died.

In June, Cash appeared in Maces Springs, Va., for a Carter family reunion he and his wife had attended often. He was hoarse and weak, but he sang several songs and spoke to the crowd, The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville reported.

"I don't know hardly what to say tonight about being up here without her. The pain is so severe there is no way of describing it," he said.

In a Nov. 26, 2002, interview with Larry King on CNN, Cash said he was not angry at God for the way his life had turned into nearly constant battles with health problems, including the loss of nearly 60 percent of his vision due to a disease called autonomic neuropathy.

King asked Cash if he was bitter at God, and Cash replied, "No, I'm not bitter. Why should I be bitter? I'm thrilled to death with life. Life is -- the way God has given it to me was just a platter -- a golden platter of life laid out there for me. It's been beautiful."

King also asked Cash if he had any regrets in life, and Cash said he had none.

In the end, Cash's mother, Carrie Rivers Cash, was right in her encouragement to pursue a music career.

"My mother told me to keep on singing, and that kept me working through the cotton fields," he recalled. "She said, 'God has His hand on you. You'll be singing for the world someday.'"

John Ritter:
It's hard to appreciate, but the very thought of members of the opposite sex living together was actually quite scandalous, at least on TV back in 1977, when Three's Company hit primetime.

Two years earlier, ABC, CBS, and NBC — better known in those days as "all three networks" — balked at the very notion of a risqué sitcom based on two single women living with a man, even though that premise worked on the British sitcom Man About the House.

When ABC finally took the plunge, shocked conservatives railed against the network, and still, Three's Company prevailed, becoming one of the most successful shows in its 7-year run. The tales of Jack, Janet and Chrissy are now a slice of TV history.

John Ritter, who died Thursday of a heart problem, became the show's enduring star as Jack Tripper, a bumbling would-be playboy who talks two beautiful women into letting him rent the extra room in their apartment. And they agree, provided there's no hanky-panky.

But as TV fans know, getting the girls' permission isn't a problem. Jack needs the approval of their landlord, an old prude named Mr. Roper, and there's no way he's going to believe that unmarried platonic cohabitation is even possible.

No sir! Mr. Roper isn't going to allow any shenanigans in his building. But then Jack cooks up the perfect explanation — he's gay!

Another Week, Another Silly Misunderstanding

In the age of Sex and the City, it's hard to appreciate that Three's Company pushed the envelope, when it was nothing more than a mild sex farce with ridiculously silly plots.

In one episode, Chrissy went to work at a convention as a hostess with an old friend of hers, not realizing the job is being a high-priced call girl.

Another time, Jack was dating a sex therapist whom Janet's father befriends and Janet thinks that the woman is a prostitute.

Then there was that time Mr. Roper was eavesdropping and started to think Chrissy was pregnant, as she revealed that she was contemplating a very serious and embarrassing medical procedure. He thinks she's pregnant and about to have an abortion. Actually, she was having a wart removed.

In the world of Three's Company, jokes about womanizing, ditsy blondes and anything with a whiff of sexuality were staples:

Jack: Larry, haven't you ever thought of telling a girl the truth?
Larry: Well, I figure, anyone who puts on eyeliner, fake eyelashes, and plastic nails isn't someone who wants to hear the truth.

Mr. Roper: I came up to shampoo your rug.
Chrissy: Why? Does it have dandruff?

Chrissy: You know, if women ran the world there'd be none of these stupid wars!
Mr. Roper: Yeah, all the countries would nag each other to death!

Janet: Chrissy, your dad is a minister, what does he usually say to couples in trouble?
Chrissy: He tells them to keep the baby.

Each episode seemed to be based on a mix-up or misunderstanding — it was as if the skimpy outfits of Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt, who regularly went braless, lowered the IQs of everyone involved.

Somers became an instant hit as dumb blonde Chrissy, and her pinup poster was requisite on the wall of every adolescent boy. Following a series of fights with the rest of the cast that have been depicted in made-for-TV movies and behind-the-scenes documentaries, she bolted after the fourth season.

A string of actresses filled the dumb blonde role, as DeWitt and Ritter kept the show alive until 1984, through several cast changes and a few spin-offs.

Ironically, before joining the free-frolicking Three's Company, Ritter was best known for playing a minister on The Waltons. He won an Emmy in the show's final season, and endured through the years as one of the most familiar faces on TV, often as a guest star in such shows as Ally McBeal, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Felicity.

Ritter, who was 54, earned high praise for his work in the 1996 film Sling Blade as well as his appearance on Broadway in Neil Simon's The Dinner Party.

In ABC's 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, Ritter's final sitcom role was as a dad trying to rein in two daughters, much as Chrissy and Janet's parents tried to rein them in.

The times change, and the younger generation becomes the parents. TV viewers embraced Ritter in both roles, a rare accomplishment for any actor.


A Sad day it is.

[junkie christ]

theres already like two threads up on this.. and it still sucks.

[Mercurygriffin]

theres already like two threads up on this.. and it still sucks.

Tell me about it.

[littlepockit]

still find it odd how the guy who invented the h-bombstill isnt mentioned on any of the news site i read...i mean, that was a pretty important development, dontcha think? thats one reasons we have oak ridge to begin with...

[Lost Traveler]

well i thnk it was because he died a few days ago he was mentioned alot then ond was on all the news shows