Additional Coverage:
- Amy Yasbeck Reunites With ‘Wings’ Co-Stars 29 Years Later to Remember Late Husband John Ritter (parade.com)
Amy Yasbeck recently brought together her former Wings co-stars for a heartfelt reunion, honoring both their time on the beloved sitcom and her late husband, John Ritter.
In September, Yasbeck hosted the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health’s annual “Evening from the Heart LA” benefit, where she surprised attendees with a reunion featuring original Wings cast members Tim Daly, Steven Weber, Tony Shalhoub, and writer Steven Levitan. The show, which aired for eight seasons starting in 1990, centered around a small airline based in Nantucket, Massachusetts, with Daly and Weber playing brothers Joe and Brian Hackett. Yasbeck joined the series in its later seasons as Casey, while Shalhoub portrayed a taxi driver from season three onward.
Though not all cast members were able to attend, Yasbeck shared how long she had hoped to arrange the gathering and managed to coordinate around their busy schedules. She noted, “Steve lives in Los Angeles but works in Chicago on Chicago Med.
I thought, ‘If only we could pry Tony Shalhoub out of Manhattan, and we did!’ Tim is also performing in L.A. with his wife, Téa Leoni, on the show Newlyweds.”
Reflecting on their time together, Daly expressed how close the cast had become, spending years together almost daily and truly knowing each other’s quirks. Even after two decades since Wings ended, he said reconnecting felt effortless.
“When you’re apart for years and then come back together, it’s like no time has passed. Tony and I just started talking like we’d never been away,” Daly remarked.
While Ritter was not a main cast member on Wings, he guest-starred as Stuart Davenport-Casey’s ex-husband-in a 1996 episode. Yasbeck and Ritter had already been dating for several years, having met during a 1989 table read for Problem Child.
Yasbeck fondly recalled her excitement for Ritter to meet her Wings family and highlighted his remarkable personality. “You might think someone can’t be that funny, cool, sweet, and genuine-but then you’d be like, ‘Oh, he is,’” she said.
Tragically, Ritter passed away on September 11, 2003, after collapsing during rehearsals for his sitcom 8 Simple Rules. The cause was a fatal acute thoracic aortic dissection. In his memory, Yasbeck founded the John Ritter Foundation to raise awareness and support research on aortic health.
Tony Shalhoub praised Yasbeck for turning her grief into a positive force. “She’s a hero,” he said. “After John died, she channeled her serious and severe grief into this foundation, working to prevent others from experiencing the same loss.”
This reunion and ongoing dedication not only celebrate the legacy of Wings but also honor John Ritter’s lasting impact both on screen and through the foundation established in his name.