Ginnie Newhart dies: Inside Bob Newhart's 60-year marriage that epitomized love and loyalty
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Comedian Bob Newhart's wife, Ginnie Newhart, died at age 82 on Sunday, April 23, in Los Angeles, after a battle with an unknown illness. Her death comes three months after the two of them celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. "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 said in a statement on Twitter.
Family publicist Jerry Digney confirmed the news of Ginnie's death to People. "Ginnie Newhart, 82, beloved wife of 60 years to comedy legend Bob Newhart, passed away Sunday, April 23rd, after a long illness," Digney said.
READ MORE
How did Paul O’Grady die? TV star and comedian, 67, was known for his drag queen persona Lily Savage
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.
— Bob Newhart (@BobNewhart) April 24, 2023
- The Newhart Family
'Sense of humor is very important to the longevity of a marriage'
Bob, 93, earlier revealed that late actor Buddy Hackett had fixed him up with Ginnie, reported People. "Buddy said, "I've got a girl for you"," Bob said. ""She's going with another guy, but I don't think he's right for her, so I'm going to fix you up on a blind date. You'll meet her and you'll date and you'll get married. Then you'll have kids and you'll call one of the kids Buddy." Which we did." The couple married the next year and eventually went on to have four children.
Bob told Parade last year that keeping everything light and funny has kept their marriage happy and alive. "The marriages of comedians, no matter how stormy, seem to last a long time, and I attribute it to laughter. No matter how intense the argument you're having, you can find a line, and then you both look at each other and start laughing. It's over, you know? I think that sense of humor is very important to the longevity of a marriage."
'Describe this dream you had about owning an inn in Vermont'
In 2020, Bob said that Ginnie has always been a supportive wife. "She'd be in the dressing room. She'd say, "Something's wrong with the sound system. I couldn't hear anything." I said, "Honey, nothing was wrong with the sound system. They didn't laugh!"" reported CBS Sunday Morning.
Ginnie was the daughter of character actor Bill Quinn. She was the creative inspiration behind the idea of the dream that ended the CBS series 'Newhart' in 1990. Bob's character, Dick Loudon, in seen in the sequence waking up in the identity of his character from the first The Bob Newhart Show, Bob Hartley.
"Ginny knew I was unhappy with CBS," Bob said in a conversation with Yahoo Entertainment in May 2020. "She told me, "You know what the final show should be? You wake up in bed with [The Bob Newhart Show costar, the late Suzanne Pleshette], and you describe this dream you had about owning an inn in Vermont.""
"I said, "Honey, that's a great idea!" Suzanne was actually at the same party, and we told her about it when we saw her. She said, "I'll be there in a New York minute."" Bob further said, "I gave the idea to the writers, and they filled out the rest." Ginnie is survived by Bob, their four children, and 10 grandchildren.