Before she became beloved as Penny by fans of “The Big Bang Theory,” Kaley Cuoco played the teenage daughter of “Three’s Company” star John Ritter in ABC sitcom “8 Simple Rules.”
Tragically, Ritter passed away after suffering a fatal thoracic aortic dissection (in which his heart’s main artery tore) on the set of “8 Simple Rules” in 2003.
Honoring John Ritter
On Saturday, September 12, Cuoco paid tribute to her late sitcom dad at the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health’s annual Evening From the Heart Gala.
“I always cry when I talk about him,” Cuoco said while wiping away tears, reported Variety.
Cuoco — who is pregnant with her second child with fiancé Tom Pelphrey’s — recalled meeting Ritter for the first time at a table read for the show when she was just 16.
As she jokingly told the audience while pointing at her expanding belly, she was cast as the “hot girl before I was knocked up. Young and cool and hot, so I wore like the hottest outfit I could ever find for this table read, like nothing. It had these little spaghetti straps, just ridiculous.”
She continued by remembering Ritter’s warm and decidedly paternal welcome. “He gives me a big hug, and he looks at me, and he takes off his jacket, and he puts it on me and says, ‘Don’t ever wear that again,’” Cuoco said, her tears turning to a smile. “It was the best.”
On-Set Tragedy
Sadly, Cuoco only had the opportunity to work with Ritter during the first season of “8 Simple Rules.” He passed away early in the second season.
Her fond memories, she admitted, were accompanied by those of the tragedy she witnessed.
“When he passed away, I don’t want to get dramatic, but I can truly say that was one of the worst days of my life,” Cuoco said.
“I remember having to remind myself that I wasn’t his kid,” she continued. “I remember for weeks after, I was like, ‘Gosh, I feel like I lost my dad.’”
A Lasting Inspiration
Ritter, one of the few Hollywood celebrities who was universally beloved by everyone who encountered him, also served as a role model whose behavior influenced how she behaved when she became a star in her own right.
“He was so funny,” she said. “I took all that with me in life and the jobs I had after,” she shared.
“He always has been the north star in my career and somebody who I adore,” Cuoco added.
The Lessons She Learned
Speaking with People last year, Cuoco revealed the lessons that she’d learned from Ritter.
“He changed the course of my life. He was there at the beginning for my career. I spent a year and a half with him, but it changed my life, my entire life,” she recalled.
“I talk about him like it was yesterday, and he affected me as if he’s been here up until this point,” Cuoco added. “He taught me to make people laugh, he told me to not take yourself so seriously, and he taught me to do anything for the joke. He had a heart that was bigger than this planet.”
