Ginnie Newhart, the beloved wife of comedian Bob Newhart, has passed away. She was 82 years old.
On Monday afternoon, the Newhart family issued a statement on Twitter mourning the loss.
“We lost our beloved Ginnie Quinn Newhart – Wife, Mother, and Grandmother on April 23rd, 2023 after a long battle with illness,” according to the post. “She was our rock, and we will miss her terribly.”
On Monday, publicist Jerry Digney confirmed the sad news. The couple, who had been married for 60 years, met on a blind date in 1962, set up by fellow comedian Buddy Hackett. They were married in 1963.
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
Ginnie was by Bob’s side for nearly his entire screen career, including his most famous TV show, The Bob Newhart Show (which ran from 1972 to 1978), in which he starred as clinical psychologist Bob Hartley, and later Newhart (1982-’90), in which he played an innkeeper named Dick Loudon in Vermont.
Ginnie is credited with coming up with the idea for Newhart’s finale, in which it is revealed that the entire show was a dream, and Dick Loudon was the wild imagining of Bob Hartley.
The unexpected twist quickly became one of television’s most beloved and well-remembered moments.
Ginnie frequently appeared in the background of Bob’s various TV shows, and the celebrity couple appeared together frequently on the 1970s game show Tattletales.
Ginnie and Bob had four children, Robert, Tim, Jennifer, and Courtney, and ten grandchildren. A private funeral service will be held in the coming weeks, according to Digney.
