Inside Bob Newhart’s heartbreaking and ‘lonely’ final days
Though he spent decades making the world laugh with his deadpan comedy, Bob Newhart lost his will to live towards the end of his life.
A source recently said that the legendary comic delivered a “one-two punch” with the deaths of two of the most important people in his life.
Keep reading to learn why Newhart’s friend says he “was ready to go.”
In 1962, Bob Newhart, 33 at the time, was set up on a blind date by his actor friend Buddy Hackett.
The young woman was Ginnie Quinn, the daughter of actor Bill Quinn, who starred in TV series like Archie Bunker’s Place and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
“Buddy said, ‘I’ve got a girl for you,” the star of The Bob Newhart Show told People in 2019. “[He 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, one of our daughters, we called her Buddy,” joked the actor, who played Professor Proton on The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon.
The couple married on January 12, 1963, and shared sons Robert (1963), Timothy, (1967), and daughters Jennifer (1971) and Courtney (1977).
Eternal love
On their 60th wedding anniversary, the star of Elf shared some throwback photos on Facebook that he captioned: “Sixty years ago today, after being set up on a blind date by Buddy Hackett, Bob Newhart married Virginia Quinn on January 12, 1963. In honor of this amazing milestone, we wanted to share some of our favorite photos.”
Only three months later, the 94-year-old star shared another tweet, this one breaking the hearts of 1.2 million fans.
He wrote of his 82-year-old wife, “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 and Don
Ginnie’s death came six years after Newhart lost his best friend, comedian Don Rickles.
The stars, who stole the stage at The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, shared an incredible chemistry where their contrasting styles created entertaining moments.
Rickles was a comedian whose sharp-tongued jabs played off Newhart’s calm, bemused responses, showcasing their mutual respect and comedic prowess.
Rickle’s and Newhart’s lifelong friendship was so iconic that it was immortalized in Bob and Don: A Love Story, a short film co-produced by Judd Apatow, known for hit films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and The King of Staten Island.
But, the Bob and Don love story was about to come to a crashing end.
On April 7, 2017, the legendary comedian and his wife delivered a statement about his pal, who died at 90, of kidney failure.
“He was called ‘The Merchant of Venom,’ but in truth, he was one of the kindest, caring, and most sensitive human beings we have ever known,” the message reads. “We are devastated, and our world will never be the same. We were totally unprepared for this.”
‘He was ready to go’
When Newhart, 94, tragically died on July 18, 2024, after suffering “a series of short illnesses,” a fellow comedian and friend said the multiple award-winning star, who had become a recluse, died “lonely and broken-hearted.”
“Those two deaths hit Bob like a one-two punch,” said the friend, referring to the deaths of Ginnie and Rickles. “He was ready to go after Ginnie died. They were happily married for 60 years, and she took any joy that was left in his life with her when she passed.”
“When Don died, Bob felt like he lost a brother, but Ginnie’s death was even tougher for him to take.”
Meanwhile, an anonymous source suggests that Newhart had nothing left to live for: “I think he was relieved when he knew he was dying. He knew he’d be reunited with Don and Ginnie once again.”
The comedy king leaves behind his four children and 10 grandchildren.
