Sad News: R.I.P. John Ritz

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I am sad to share this news with you. John Ritz passed away this weekend. He was only 44.

John Ritz was helpful and generous with his time and expertise in copywriting and Internet marketing. Maybe some of you knew him?

In my correspondence with him, he often shared pointers with me, and he was always helpful and accessible. He had a sense of humor as well and we sometimes just joked around in our emails. John Ritz was a great guy.

John David Ritskowitz - Obituary - Duksa Family Funeral Homes
  • Profile picture of the author Tina Golden
    I'm so sorry to hear this. I knew he'd been ill but I didn't realize how serious it was. He was a kind and generous man and he will definitely be missed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Michael
    I didnt know him, but RIP John.

    PS: you should disable sigs in this thread. Or at least thats what I would do.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    I didn't even know he was ill. This is definitely sad news.

    RIP John.
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    Sal
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris W. Sutton
    This is a shocker! I didn't even know he was sick! John was a big fan of Thaddaeus T Hogg and that is how I got to know him. He was a great guy and a very good copywriter. I will miss him a lot. RIP Big John!
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  • Profile picture of the author Elmer Hurlstone
    John will be missed.

    Back in the days of the Friday Night Chats he was a fixture. On the plus side, he freely shared his knowledge. On the negative side, from time-to-time he and Kevin Riley had a lamentable tendency to start conversing in Japanese. I think just to make the rest of us feel stupid.

    I learned a great deal about copywriting from him. The couple products I bought from him were useful and value packed. On occasion we chatted on Skype or exchanged emails about this or that. He was helpful and generous with his time.

    Forty-four is way too young to go...

    PS. There is also a thread—appropriately—about John's passing in the Copywriting Forum:

    http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...john-ritz.html


    RIP John
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    • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
      Originally Posted by Elmer Hurlstone View Post

      <snip> he and Kevin Riley had a lamentable tendency to start conversing in Japanese. <snip>
      John Ritz spoke Japanese? Did he live in Japan for a while?
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      Project HERE.

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  • Profile picture of the author Peter Bestel
    Truly sad. I'd bought a product or two from John but didn't know him. Seemed like a genuinely nice guy and another asset to this community is lost.

    As Elmer said, forty four is way too young. A sad day.

    RIP John
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  • Profile picture of the author zapseo
    Oh crap!
    I've been trying to get in touch with John for months now, with no success.
    I spent many delightful hours with John when we were mods for the "Warrior Forum Friday Night Chat" (that is, when Eric Louviere was in charge.)

    John and I would get on and talk about programming ...

    And people would complain about all the programming talk...

    Then John and I would (on other occasions) be talking about copywriting ...

    And people would complain ...

    Go figure! Just no satisfying some people.

    This is sad, sad, sad news ... and, like others, I did not know that he had been ill.

    He would get on the FNC from time to time and run contests -- I won one of them .. I think it was for singing ... (I don't think it was for *quality* ... maybe for the worst ? I don't remember. And now I can't connect with him and talk about old times ... )

    John -- you will be sorely missed.

    I was missing you already, but hoped to connect again ...

    Oh man...just have to share another FNC story ... there was when his brother was in his basement doing weird physics experiments that had to do with time and reality ...

    And another one when the city snowplows took out half his front yard (okay, maybe it wasn't half.)

    Gosh ...

    It's my birthday today -- but this is no present.

    Godspeed to you, John -- and know that you positively touched lots of lives ...

    Live JoyFully!

    Judy

    PS -- where's the kleenex ... I'm blubbering all over.
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  • Profile picture of the author zapseo
    Harlan,
    Thanks for the thoughts ...

    I will miss John a lot.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    I only knew him from FNC (and a PLR product I bought from him). He was always willing to share his knowledge and was especially smart about copywriting.

    RIP John.
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  • Profile picture of the author barbling
    'Way too young to go. Just found out about it.....so sad.

    RIP.
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  • Profile picture of the author BrianMcLeod
    Do you guys remember John's hilarious April Fools videos?

    THAT is how I'll remember him. Great guy. Will be missed.

    Brian

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    • Profile picture of the author zapseo
      Originally Posted by BrianMcLeod View Post

      Do you guys remember John's hilarious April Fools videos?

      THAT is how I'll remember him. Great guy. Will be missed.

      Brian
      That vaguely rings a bell ...

      Then there were the games -- dang, what were those? That he took a page from Tony B. -- treasure hunts or something ... great fun!

      And ... let's not forget -- that awesome of all awesome PowerEffects products ...

      (and ... copywriters-toolkit-- great resource, too (Yikes! Now what will happen to that?) I sold a number of memberships to that, and John was always very reliable and prompt in paying affiliate commissions.)

      John created some good solid products.

      As Brian McLeod said over on the copywriting forum: ****.

      Live JoyFully!

      Judy
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  • Profile picture of the author jacktackett
    I did not know he was ill either. He will definitely be missed. RIP John.
    respectfully,
    --Jack
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  • Profile picture of the author Patrician
    RIP Warrior.

    My condolences to his family and all his friends and fans here.

    Why do so many really 'good ones' get taken out too soon.

    I guess 'only the good die young' is a true statement (to a degree).
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    • Profile picture of the author ShayB
      So incredibly sad to hear this.
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      "Fate protects fools, little children, and ships called Enterprise." ~Commander Riker
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      • Profile picture of the author Scott Ames
        I was sad to hear this as I always liked John and held him in high esteem. Michael Fortin for me was the bearer of the bad news. I'm still in shock.

        This only brings to the forefront my belief that we should be engaged in the things we love rather than in doing things we do not love. We should take every opportunity to spend time with our loved ones and let them know how precious we think they are. We should not take trivial matters seriously and brush off the small stuff. ( It's all small stuff )

        Time is the only asset we have that is both fleeting and more valuable than all the wealth in the world. Your destiny is to leave something behind eventually. You decide what that will be. For many what you leave will be memories held by others. Make sure those memories are fond and good and know that you have enriched the lives of those you've had the privilege of knowing in this life: family, friends, associates.
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  • Profile picture of the author zerofill
    Wow, John used to come in the Friday Night Chat and talk awhile. First time I heard of this. Sad to hear that. He was a good guy!
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  • Profile picture of the author J123
    I'm so sorry to hear this. RIP, John RItz.
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      OMG...I can't believe this. John was just the nicest guy. I used to have so much
      fun with him at FNC.

      Does anybody have any details? He was so young and as far as I knew, he was
      fine.

      This is just such shocking news. I don't even know what else to say.
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  • Profile picture of the author paul_1
    Rest in Peace John Ritz...
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  • Profile picture of the author BrianMcLeod
    Remembering John at The Warrior Event 2012 in Raleigh March 11, 2012

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  • Profile picture of the author DotComBum
    We need more people like him, R.I.P. John Ritz
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