Theodore Samuel 'Ted' Tapper was born on March 11, 1943, in Brooklyn, New York, to Samuel Tapper and Celia (Weiss) Tapper, a Jewish family. He grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he met his future wife, Helen Anne Palmatier, a psychiatric nurse. The couple married and raised two sons: CNN anchor Jake Tapper and educator Benjamin Tapper. Tapper graduated from Dartmouth College and Harvard Medical School, completed his pediatric internship and residency at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and dedicated over four decades to serving immigrant communities in South Philadelphia as a pediatrician. He served as president of South Philadelphia Pediatrics and associate clinical professor at Jefferson Medical College, earning a reputation for compassion and expertise among multi-generational families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he provided medical insights to his son Jake for on-air discussions. Tapper resided in Philadelphia's Pennsport neighborhood until his death from cancer on October 20, 2022, at age 79. He had no known legal issues, controversies, or political involvements and was remembered in obituaries by The Philadelphia Inquirer and family statements for his lifelong commitment to pediatrics and community health.