John Ritter's widow, Amy Yasbeck, recalls the actor's fatal misdiagnosis, which eventually led to his death after four hours in the emergency room.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleJohn Ritter, who was best known for his role in Three’s Company, passed away in September 2003. The actor was 54 years old at the time of his death. In his personal life, John was married to Amy Yasbeck. Now, over two decades after John Ritter’s death, Amy is sharing the details of his final hours.
According to reports, John Ritter died after suffering an acute aortic dissection, a tear in the inner layer of the aorta, which is the largest artery in the body and is responsible for delivering blood away from the heart.
John’s widow, Amy Yasbeck, recently decided to sit down for an interview with Fox News Digital. Amy, who is the founder of the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health, was joined by the actor’s son, Tyler Ritter, for the September 17, 2026 chat, the day that would have been John Ritter's 78th birthday.
While speaking about John’s death, Amy revealed that he was mistakenly treated for a heart attack when he was taken to the hospital. She believes that this “led to what eventually happened.” According to Amy, the medical staff did not perform any imaging, but since John looked about the right age and weight to have a heart attack, they gave him “blood thinners and stuff.” She said:
"And they didn't do any imaging, but he looked like the guy — right age, right weight, everything — to have a heart attack, and he had chest pain. So they just started loading him up with blood thinners and stuff."
Amy claimed that everything they did that night to her husband to save his life had the opposite effect. She said that once the aorta starts dissecting, people usually have a better chance of surviving if they get proper treatment in time. In his words:
"And this is sad because it was the opposite. It wasn't a block in his heart, it was a tear in his aorta, so everything they did that night led to what eventually happened. Because there are ways, once it starts dissecting, if you get to the hospital in time, your chances are way better of living."
After John Ritter passed away, Amy decided to file a wrongful death lawsuit. She alleged that his aortic dissection was misdiagnosed. At the time, a jury found in favor of the two physicians remaining in the case. As you can guess, it was John’s death that also led Amy to establish the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health in his name. The foundation primarily works to increase awareness of thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections. Additionally, they work towards improving their detection and treatment.
During the interview, Amy admitted that John’s experience and story now act as an example among some medical professionals. She recalled that when she recently went to accompany a friend who was experiencing chest pain to a hospital, the staff said that she would need to get a CT scan to check for “the John Ritter thing.” She clarified that they had no idea she was John’s wife.
On the day that John Ritter died, he was filming for his ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules…for Dating My Teenage Daughter. After the day went on, John began feeling ill and reportedly told the show’s director, James Widdoes, that he felt sick to his stomach. His condition started going downhill after he went to lie down in his dressing room.
John was reportedly sweating profusely, vomiting, and having chest pain. The studio doctor advised that John be taken to the hospital.
Upon the actor’s arrival at the Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, doctors presumed that John Ritter was having a heart attack. He spent four hours in the emergency room before passing away from aortic dissection.
What are your thoughts on John Ritter's widow opening up about his death after two decades? Let us know.
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