‘She was our rock’: Bob Newhart’s wife of 60 Jenny Newhart has died at 82 after a long illness, family say
- The couple celebrated their 60th birthday this past January
- Fixed by a mutual friend, the late Buddy Hackett
- Bob, 93, attributed their long relationship to laughing together
Jenny Newhart, wife of comedian Bob Newhart, died Sunday at the age of 82, just three months after the couple celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.
“We lost our beloved Ginnie Quinn Newhart – wife, mother and grandmother on April 23, 2023 after a long battle with illness,” read a statement on Newhart’s Twitter page on behalf of the family on Monday. She was our rock and we miss her terribly.
Family publicist Jerry Digne confirmed Jenny’s death in a statement to the people Monday.
Pope, 93, told the outlet in 2019 how he was reformed by his longtime love interest by the late actor Buddy Hackett, who was friends with both of them.
“Friends 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 set you up on a blind date. You’ll meet her and she’ll date and she’ll get married. Then you’ll have kids and you’ll call one of those kids.” Which we did.
The latest: Jenny Newhart, the longtime wife of comedian Bob Newhart, died Sunday at the age of 82, just three months after the couple celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. The longtime pair broke up in March 2014 in Los Angeles
The family confirmed the queen’s death in a statement on social media on Monday
The couple ended up exchanging vows the following year and had four children.
Bob talking to procession Last year, he said keeping things light and funny was a driving factor in their six-decade union.
“Comedians’ marriages, no matter how stormy, seem to last a long time, and I attribute that to the laughter,” Pope told the publication. No matter how intense an argument you have, you can find a line, and then both of you look at each other and start laughing. It’s over, you know?
“I think a sense of humor is very important to the longevity of a marriage.”
Jenny expressed the same idea while speaking to PBS in 2005 about why marriages between funny people have an upside.
“The comedians are a pleasure to be with,” said Jenny. “They seem to have longevity in their marriages.”
bob chat with CBS Sunday Morning in 2020 about how supportive a husband Ginnie has been throughout his show business career.
“You’ll be in the dressing room,” he said. She was saying, “Something was wrong with the sound system. I couldn’t hear anything.” Honey, I said, there was nothing wrong with the sound system. They didn’t laugh! “
The couple was seen at the Golden Globes in Los Angeles in 1983 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel
The couple was seen in May 2013 in Las Vegas with the late Don Rickles and his late wife, Barbara
In the piece, Jenny notes how “terribly shy” Bob was when he wasn’t performing, and wondered if his career would deviate from the path of show business.
“I always thought he might go into teaching, or do something else,” she said. “But then I realized it was definitely in his blood and he…was starting to enjoy it. I knew he was hooked.”
