Johnny Cash, the legendary “Man in Black” country singer, and John Ritter, one of the stars on the TV Sitcom “Three’s Company” died today, Cash of complications from diabetes and Ritter of an aortic aneurysm.

I was a fan of Johnny Cash. To me, he always sang right on the edge, sounding like he might go flat any minute, but he never did. I wore out the grooves on the Folsom Prison album. I plan on spending some time listening to his music this weekend.

Truthfully, I was never a huge John Ritter fan, mainly because I was not crazy about the TV programs that made him famous. However, I do seem to recall laughing a bit at “Three’s Company,” particularly the segments involving the “Ropers,” and the dopey blond character created by Suzanne Somers. On the occasions that I saw Ritter being interviewed, he seemed like a pretty nice guy. He was too young to die.

FACTOID: Speaking of Suzanne Somers…..

Suzanne Somers and I made our entry onto this planet on the same day. She, however, looks considerably better than I.

Damn, I knew I should have bought one of those Thighmasters.