The Heartbreaking Death Of Paul Ritter

British actor Paul Ritter has died of a brain tumor. Ritter, who starred in the popular comedy series Friday Night Dinner (via IMDb), was 54 years old at the time of his death.

Ritter's agent released a statement confirming that the actor died peacefully at home with his wife and children. "It is with great sadness we can confirm that Paul Ritter passed away last night. He died peacefully at home with his wife Polly and sons Frank and Noah by his side. He was 54 and had been suffering from a brain tumour. Paul was an exceptionally talented actor playing an enormous variety of roles on stage and screen with extraordinary skill. He was fiercely intelligent, kind and very funny. We will miss him greatly" (via The Guardian).

Ritter was also known by international audiences as the actor who played Eldred Worple in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (via Metro). Eldred Worple was a favorite student of Professor Slughorn's, the same professor who ropes Harry Potter into his Slug Club organization.

Paul Ritter's longest-running role was definitely in Friday Night Dinner. Ritter played Martin, the patriarch of the Goodman family, and he certainly seemed to love his time on the popular comedy series. 

Friday Night Dinner was about the escapades of the Goodmans, a Jewish family who meet each Friday for Shabbat dinner. The most recent version of the show was rebooted ten years after its previous incarnation, and Ritter told NME that his version of the show was different. "There is greater agony and ecstasy in this. There are wonderful things that happen and very painful episodes as well."

Robert Popper, who created the show, has issued his own statement on Paul Ritter's death. "Devastated at this terribly sad news. Paul was a lovely, wonderful human being. Kind, funny, super caring and the greatest actor I ever worked with" (via The Guardian).