He married his wife, former The Love Boat (1977) star Lauren Tewes in 1996. Seemingly healthy, in 1997, he suddenly became fatigued while acting in a play. Then while auditioning for a radio commercial, he tripped over a word so badly that the producer thought he was drunk. In January 1998, Bob was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.