After 60 years together, Bob and Ginnie Newhart passed away within a year of each other.
Bob, who died at 94 on July 18, met Ginnie in 1962 through their mutual friend, actor Buddy Hackett. They married a year later.
“Buddy said, ‘I’ve got a girl for you,’” Bob shared with PEOPLE in 2019. “I’m going to set you up on a blind date because she’s dating someone who’s not right for her. After meeting her, you’ll date, marry, and have kids, and you’ll name one Buddy. Which we did.”
Bob and Ginnie, who passed away at 82 in April 2023, had four children: Robert, born in November 1963; Timothy, born in 1967; Jennifer, born in 1971; and Courtney, born in 1977. In November 2020, they told PEOPLE that one of their children was nicknamed “Buddy” in honor of their promise to Hackett.
The Bob Newhart Show star explained their strong connection by noting their similar backgrounds and upbringings.
“We’re both Catholic, and she’s 75% Irish,” Newhart said.
Bob described Ginnie as his greatest support, helping him with his shows and encouraging him to take risks.
“She’d be in the dressing room and say, ‘Something’s wrong with the sound system. No one could hear you,’” he recalled. “I’d respond, ‘Honey, the sound system was fine. They just didn’t laugh!’”
The couple laughed a lot together and credited humor with keeping their relationship strong.
“The marriages of comedians, no matter how stormy, seem to last a long time, and I attribute it to laughter,” Bob told Parade in 2022. “No matter how heated the argument, you can find a line and laugh together. You know it’s over? I believe comedy helps marriages last.”
In January 2023, Bob and Ginnie celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Bob marked the occasion by sharing some of their “favorite photos” on social media.
Ginnie passed away three months later after a prolonged illness.
Bob wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “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 dearly.”
In a 2020 CBS Sunday Morning interview, when asked why he continued performing during the pandemic, Bob expressed confidence in his faith and a desire to keep bringing joy to people.
“I believe that when it’s over and you go to heaven, God asks, ‘What did you do?’ When I say, ‘I made people laugh,’ he says, ‘Yeah, get in that nice short line over there,’” he joked.