With Love and Laughter, John Ritter - Amy Yasbeck

If you're familiar with 1970s comedy, you know about Three's Company and you either loved or hated John Ritter. I thought he was hilarious. I recall my dad being of the opposite opinion. Either way, Ritter was a pop culture icon, along with Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt. Those characters inhabited our household every week; and,come syndication, every day.

Ritter died unexpectedly in 2003 of an aortic aneurism, having been rushed from the set of his latest sitcom, 8 Simple Rules. From Three's Company to movie appearances to Broadway, he'd found his way back into our living rooms. I looked forward to reading this book about a man who seemed to inhale goofiness and exhale laughter. I didn't know who Amy Yasbeck was (other than being John Ritter's widow, of course), nor did I particularly care. Yes, I admit that sounds harsh.

With Love and Laughter, John Ritter is 26 chapters in length. The first 18 are about the life of Amy Yasbeck, which includes her life with John Ritter; the last 7 are about John Ritter. It is a telling story of a life shared, but not the typical "meet the man" biography I anticipated. I did force myself to read through the Amy Yasbeck story in order to arrive at the John Ritter story, and I'm glad I did. The book ends with a synopsis of a man who lived life to the fullest, who loved comedy, joy, and laughter, and who was obviously adored by many. It took a while to arrive at the story I wanted to read, but I wasn't disappointed when I got there.