John Ritter, beloved star of the sitcom Three's Company, died at age 54 just hours after falling ill during rehearsals for his show 8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter. His sudden death led to a multi-million-dollar lawsuit after it was revealed that doctors had misdiagnosed his condition as a heart attack.
Sudden Illness and Death
On September 11, the week before his 55th birthday, Ritter was at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California, when he suddenly began sweating profusely, complained of chest pains, and started vomiting. He was rushed to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, which was conveniently located across the road and, in a bizarre coincidence, the same hospital where he had been born.
He arrived at 6pm, but five hours later, his loved ones received the devastating news that he had died. Initially, emergency room physicians treated him for what they believed was a heart attack, but they were wrong. His condition worsened, and doctors eventually diagnosed him with an aortic dissection—a life-threatening emergency where a tear in the inner wall of the main artery allows blood to push through the layers, ripping them apart. Had the signs been noticed sooner, it was argued, the actor could have survived. He was sent into surgery but was pronounced dead at 10:48pm.
Lawsuit and Aftermath
Following Ritter's death, his wife, Amy Yasbeck, sued the hospital for negligence and filed two separate wrongful death lawsuits against two doctors: one who treated him the night he died, and another who had interpreted a body scan from 2001 that showed artery damage. Several lawsuits were settled out of court for a total of $14 million, approximately £10 million. The two doctors were cleared of charges, with a jury split of 9–3 in their favor.
Yasbeck has been open about her belief that her husband would still be alive if he had been correctly diagnosed sooner. She said: "John didn't have a chance. He was never given that chance."
Legacy
Ritter left behind four children, some of whom followed in his footsteps. His son Jason was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for his role in Parenthood and has appeared in Joan of Arcadia, Gravity Falls, and Frozen 2. His other son Tyler has had roles in NCIS, Modern Family, and The McCarthys.
