After suffering a series of debilitating strokes, Buzzi’s husband, Kent Perkins, revealed the sad news to the public, asking only that people send along positive thoughts and prayers for her health. Buzzi has continued to make people laugh and smile through the years, posting intelligent jokes to her Twitter up until recently, but signs that something happened began with a tweet on July 18 that read, “Thank you for your love and friendship for all these years.” Just a day earlier, Buzzi posted the joke, “If we just switch to cursive and ban automatic transmissions, we can cripple an entire generation,” making the sincere message jarringly different. Then, Buzzi’s husband revealed the situation on Facebook, via Movieweb, writing about her poor health and saying, “Ruthie is my only priority right now. I am grateful for the 43 years of marriage to the best person I know on this Earth…She wants you to know she is not in pain and is aware you are sending your best wishes her way as she battles the results of devastating strokes that have left her bedridden and incapacitated.” He continued, “She can still speak and understand, she still recognizes all her friends and loved ones. I am reading to her your wonderful comments, and she smiles. Her love for others knows no bounds, and she has spent a lifetime making people smile.” Perkins reportedly requested that fans only think of Buzzi and share good memories, writing, “We don’t need anything from you but your continued thoughts, prayers, love and gratitude for the wonderful good times we’ve had along the way.” Many publications posted about Perkins’ request for prayers, also saying that he wrote that he would be taking a break from social media to take care of Buzzi, but this information is not included in the main message currently posted on Buzzi’s Facebook page. Another message shared earlier on the morning of July 19 was either removed or is only visible to certain people that likely contains these quotes, though as of right now, it’s unclear why Perkins altered the public message. Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In was the biggest sketch show on television before Saturday Night Live started, and along with Buzzi, it launched the careers of many other big names like Lily Tomlin and Goldie Hawn.
