{"id":52721,"date":"2026-09-25T17:18:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T21:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=52721"},"modified":"2026-09-25T17:18:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T21:18:13","slug":"john-ritters-widow-reveals-fatal-misdiagnosis-she-says-led-to-his-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2026\/09\/john-ritters-widow-reveals-fatal-misdiagnosis-she-says-led-to-his-death.html","title":{"rendered":"John Ritter\u2019s Widow Reveals Fatal Misdiagnosis She Says Led to His Death"},"content":{"rendered":"
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More than two decades after John Ritter\u2019s sudden death, his widow, Amy Yasbeck, is revealing new details about his final hours and the medical misdiagnosis she says contributed to the beloved actor\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

Ritter, best known for playing Jack Tripper on \u201cThree\u2019s Company,\u201d died in September 2003 at just 54 years old. He suffered an acute aortic dissection, a life-threatening tear in the inner layer of the aorta, the body\u2019s largest artery.<\/p>\n

But when Ritter arrived at the hospital with chest pain, doctors initially believed he was having a heart attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cJohn was sadly misdiagnosed on the night he passed away,\u201d Yasbeck told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

Yasbeck said doctors did not perform imaging before treating Ritter for a heart attack. Because of his age, weight and symptoms, she said he appeared to fit the profile, and doctors began giving him blood thinners.<\/p>\n

The problem was that Ritter wasn\u2019t suffering from a blockage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the opposite,\u201d Yasbeck explained. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a block in his heart, it was a tear in his aorta, so everything they did that night led to what eventually happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yasbeck said quickly recognizing an aortic dissection can make a critical difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are ways, once it starts dissecting, if you get to the hospital in time, your chances are way better of living,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Following Ritter\u2019s death, Yasbeck filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging his condition had been misdiagnosed. In 2008, a jury found in favor of the two physicians remaining in the case.<\/p>\n

Ritter\u2019s death also revealed a troubling pattern in his family.<\/p>\n

Doctors now believe his father, country music legend Tex Ritter, may have died from an undiagnosed aortic dissection. After John\u2019s death, screening discovered the same condition in his brother Tom, allowing him to undergo surgery before it became fatal.<\/p>\n

Ritter\u2019s son Tyler now receives annual screenings and makes sure his children understand their family history.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mission is that he is the last in our family to suffer a dissection,\u201d Tyler said.<\/p>\n

The family has also turned Ritter\u2019s death into a mission through the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health, which Yasbeck founded to raise awareness about aortic aneurysms and dissections.<\/p>\n

More than 20 years later, Yasbeck has seen signs that her husband\u2019s story is making a difference.<\/p>\n

She recalled recently taking a friend with chest pain to a hospital. Without knowing who she was, medical staff told Yasbeck they were ordering a CT scan to check for \u201cthe John Ritter thing\u201d and rule out an aortic dissection.<\/p>\n

Yasbeck said hearing those words brought a sense of relief.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was kind of a pre-John Ritter awareness of aortic dissection and a post,\u201d she said. \u201cSadly, John died in the last hours of pre-John Ritter awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Tyler, his father\u2019s death remains painful, but knowing his story may have protected other families has provided what he called a \u201cmassive silver lining.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is unfortunate. It\u2019s a tragedy,\u201d Tyler said. \u201cBut it has happened. And, as a result, there are just countless numbers of lives that have been saved.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than two decades after John Ritter\u2019s sudden death, his widow, Amy Yasbeck, is revealing new details about his final hours and the medical misdiagnosis she says contributed to the beloved actor\u2019s death. Ritter, best known for playing Jack Tripper on \u201cThree\u2019s Company,\u201d died in September 2003 at just 54 years old. He suffered an…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":52724,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-television"],"yoast_head":"\nJohn Ritter\u2019s Widow Reveals Fatal Misdiagnosis She Says Led to His Death<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"John Ritter\u2019s widow, Amy Yasbeck, reveals the fatal misdiagnosis she says contributed to the \u2018Three\u2019s Company\u2019 star\u2019s sudden death.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2026\/09\/john-ritters-widow-reveals-fatal-misdiagnosis-she-says-led-to-his-death.html\" \/>\n<meta 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