Ginnie Newhart, the beloved wife of comedy legend Bob Newhart, has died. She was 82.
The Newhart family released a statement to Twitter on Monday afternoon mourning the loss.
“We lost our beloved Ginnie Quinn Newhart – Wife, Mother and Grandmother on April 23rd, 2023 after a long battle with illness,” the post shared. “She was our rock and we miss her terribly.”
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We lost our beloved Ginnie Quinn Newhart – Wife, Mother and Grandmother on April 23rd, 2023 after a long battle with illness. She was our rock and we miss her terribly.
– The Newhart Family
— Bob Newhart (@BobNewhart) April 24, 2023
Publicist Jerry Digney also confirmed the sad news to ET on Monday. The pair, who were married for 60 years, first met on a blind date in 1962, arranged by fellow comedy icon Buddy Hackett. They tied the knot in 1963.
Ginnie was by Bob’s side throughout nearly his entire screen career — including his most famous TV shows, “The Bob Newhart Show” (which ran from 1972-’78), in which he starred as clinical psychologist Bob Hartley, and later “Newhart” (1982-’90), in which he played an innkeeper in Vermont named Dick Loudon.
Ginnie has been credited for coming up with the idea for the finale of “Newhart”, in which it is revealed that the entire show was a dream, and the character of Dick Loudon was the wild imaginings of Bob Hartley.
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The unexpected twist quickly become one of the most beloved and well-remembered moments in TV history.
Ginnie often appeared in the background of Bob’s various TV shows, and the celeb couple would frequently appear together on the 1970s game show “Tattletales”.
Ginnie and Bob shared four children — Robert, Tim, Jennifer and Courtney — as well as 10 grandchildren. Digney said that a private funeral service will be held in the coming weeks.
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