Bob Newhart’s Tragic Last Days: ‘He Died Broken-Hearted After Deaths of Wife Ginnie and Best Pal Don Rickles’

Beloved TV icon Bob Newhart died lonely and brokenhearted, still reeling from the loss of Ginnie, his wife of 60 years, and his best friend, Don Rickles.

Don passed away in 2017 and Ginnie died in April 2023.

A fellow comedian and friend told RadarOnline.com: “Those two deaths hit Bob like a one-two punch. 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.”

Bob and Ginnie met when funnyman Buddy Hackett set them up on a blind date. They married a year later on Jan. 12, 1963, and had four children.

As RadarOnline , the Grammy and Emmy-winning entertainer passed away on July 18 at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 94, after suffering “a series of short illnesses", his publicist, Jerry Digney, announced.

Our source shared that Ginnie, and Don’s wife, Barbara, were responsible for their husbands’ close friendship, encouraging them to spend time together before Don passed away in 2017.

The insider revealed: “The four of them often had dinner together in Beverly Hills,” adding that the Elf star and the insult comic “were forever making each other laugh”.

Over the years, the pair would do stand-up gigs in Las Vegas at the same time, and they’d spend family vacations together.

The friend shared: “When Don died, Bob felt like he lost a brother, but Ginnie's death was even tougher for him to take.”

At that point, Bob became a sad recluse, leaving friends fearing he wanted to join her because there was nothing left for him here on Earth.

Said the insider: “I think he was relieved when he knew he was dying. He knew he'd be reunited with Don and Ginnie once again.”

Bob leaves behind a beloved legacy, including his roles in the Christmas movie Elf and sitcom The Big Bang Theory, but his career successes date back decades.

The Chicago native worked as an accountant before he rose to fame in the American comedy scene, earning recognition for his deadpan delivery and observational humor.

His debut live comedy album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, launched him to stardom in 1960 as it reached #1 on the Billboard Mono Action Albums chart and earned him his first Grammy. His second album, The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back! was also well-received, winning Newhart two more Grammys and joining his first release at the top of the Billboard chart.

He went on to rule the television scene in Chicago, playing clinical psychologist Bob Hartley on the wildly successful The Bob Newhart Show, which ran from 1972 to 1978. The role established the actor as a fixture in TV comedy as he returned to the small screen in 1982 as Dick Loudon in Newhart, which aired until 1990.

The actor made appearances in hit shows including ER, Desperate Housewives, NCIS, and Young Sheldon, and his movie credits include Legally Blonde and Horrible Bosses.

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