Reality TV Host Chris Ritter Dies After Being Hit by Falling Tree Branch

Chris Ritter, the former host of The Appraisers, a former reality TV series about classic car appraisals, has died after a weakened tree branch fell on him at the Manor Golf Club near Reading in Pennsylvania. He was 43 years old and leaves behind two sons and a loving wife. According to Philly Voice, Ritter was riding in a golf cart along a fairway on Monday, Oct. 3 when the branch snapped loose and struck him. An ambulance transported him to Reading Hospital, where he died a short time later. The golf course in Sinking Spring. It was opened in 1928 and is one of the oldest public courses in eastern Pennsylvania, set about 70 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

Berks County Coronor John Fielding confirmed that Ritter died of head injuries. Strong winds in the week before the branch fell are a potential contributing factor to why the branch was weakened. Ritter's death was ruled accidental.

Born in Reading, PA, Ritter celebrated his 15th anniversary with his wife in June 2022. He had a passion for old vehicles was most recently employed as the library director of the Antique Automobile Club of America Library and Research Center in Hershey. 

Ritter joined classic car expert on The Appraisers where he was lauded as a "car geek" with cast knowledge of the industry. The eight-episode first and only season is available on Amazon Prime Video.

"His sons were his world, and he loved nothing more than making them laugh and smile," Ritter's obituary reads. Steve Moskowitz, the CEO of the Antique Automobile Car Club of America Library where Ritter worked before his death, told WFMZ-TV that Ritter was a "renaissance man" who was into guitars, 3-D printing and other hobbies, including fishing, woodworking and caring for bonsai.  A memorial service for Ritter service will be held Sunday, Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. at Grimes Airport, 371 Airport Road. in Bethel.