- Bob Newhart’s wife of 60 years died after a long illness. Details revealed.
- A year after her death, Bob has also passed away.
- Bob’s only life regret is connected to his 11-years-younger wife.
Bob Newhart was an American actor well known for his roles in “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Elf,” “The Librarian,” and even “The Big Bang Theory.” However, he had not always been solely focused on his career.
Bob also had an incredibly successful marriage to Ginny Newhart. The couple was married for sixty years. Unfortunately, their relationship ended when Ginny died. Now, Bob has also passed away a year after his wife’s death.
Bob and Ginny Newhart at the 2005 TV Land Awards in Santa Monica | Source: Getty Images
Bob died in Los Angeles, on July 18, 2024, aged 94. His publicist, Jerry Digney, said he passed away after a series of short illnesses. The actor is survived by his children, Robert Jr., Timothy, Courtney, and Jennifer, and 10 grandchildren.
His wife Ginny died on April 23, 2023. When she passed away, Bob took to Facebook to share the news of the demise of his wife and the mother of his children. He said she had been ill for a long time and finished the post by musing, “She was our rock, and we miss her terribly.”
Bob and Ginny Newhart and family when Newhart received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999 | Source: Getty Images
Fans sent their love and condolences in the post’s comments section, saying Bob and his wife were inspirational as a couple. Fans admired how the two could stay married through thick and thin and welcome new generations.
Many news publications also reported on Bob’s wife’s death, revealing she was 82 when she passed away. In January 2023, before Ginny died, her husband shared cute throwback pictures of their wedding day. These were also the last pictures the actor ever shared posing with his wife before his death.
Bob and Ginny Newhart on their wedding day on January 12, 1963, from an X post dated January 13, 2023. | Source: x/BobNewhart/
In the post, Bob narrated that he and Ginny Newhart met when they were set on a blind date by Buddy Hackett and they got married on January 12, 1963. “In honor of this amazing milestone, we wanted to share some of our favorite photos,” wrote the actor.
Fans gushed over Ginny and Bob’s love story, writing, “I love stories like this.” Another fan commented, “Very pretty lady. Congrats!” Over the years they lived and loved each other, Ginny and Bob gave fans a glimpse into their romance journey through their amazing stories.
In 1960, Bob and Ginny went on a blind date. Buddy and Bob were on “The David Susskind Show” when Buddy suggested Bob go on a date with a girl he knew.
Buddy thought Bob should meet Ginny because she was an Irish Catholic, and he knew that Bob was catholic, too. Buddy joked, “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.”
Bob, Ginny, Julie, and Olivia Newhart at the Third Annual Young Musicians Foundation’s Celebrity Mother-Daughter Fashion Show in 1984 | Source: Getty Images
Bob knew quite quickly that she was the one for him because they shared the same values and had fun together. The couple married in 1963 and honored Buddy by naming one of their daughters after him.
The couple built a beautiful life together, and although they were both in show business, with Ginny being an extra in movies, they didn’t attend a-list parties or rub shoulders with the rich and famous. Instead, they preferred to enjoy one another’s company at home.
Ginny and Bob Newhart at theCBS TV Affiliates Party at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California in 1987 | Source: Getty Images
When asked if he had any regrets about when he married his wife, Bob revealed that he did not have any regrets. Instead, he felt he would have married his wife sooner if he could have afforded it.
He recalled having his first record come out and reach number one on the charts, saying he had nobody to share it with when it finally happened for him. Bob wished he could have shared it with Ginny but knew he could not afford to tie the knot. Talking about Ginny, Bob said, “She was everything.”
Ginny and Bob Newhart outside Mr Chow’s Restaurant in 2002 | Source: Getty Images
After Bob and Ginny married, she was around for all his successes and failures. She always cheered him on, even if things didn’t go the way he wanted them to when he was performing. He finally had someone to share everything with.
While Ginny always built her husband up, she knew how to bring him back down to earth again, too. Once, Ginny asked Bob to take out the recyclables. Bob felt particularly full of himself that day, so he challenged her.
Ginny and Bob Newhart at the Superbowl Party at Chasen’s Restaurant in Beverly Hills, California in 1989 | Source: Getty Images
When Ginny asked her husband kindly to take out the recyclables, he asked her if she thought Angelina Jolie asked Brad Pitt to take out the recyclables. Ginny quickly quipped that if Bob were Brad Pitt, she wouldn’t ask him to do it.
The couple shared love and laughter for many years, and they also shared four children named Robert William, Jennifer, Courtney, and Timothy Newhart.
Bob, Tim, and Courtney Newhart during 44th Annual Emmy Awards in Pasadena, California, on August 30, 1992. | Source: Getty Images
In 2019, just after he turned 90, Bob gave an interview in which he talked about what it was like to be 90 and how he felt to be married for so long.
Bob and Ginny Newhart attend An Evening with Bob Newhart: A “Newhart” Celebration in 2018 | Source: Getty Images
When Bob Newhart was asked how he felt about turning 90, he said he was glad he had experienced everything he had. Some of his achievements were having the first number-one comedy record, two self-titled TV shows, and meeting everyone he did.
However, Bob never expected that he would make it to 90. He revealed that his father had died in his late 80s and his mother had passed on in her early 90s, which left him feeling like he got their longevity genes.
