John Ritter's widow Amy Yasbeck details the fatal misdiagnosis she says led to his death

Amy Yasbeck says her husband’s death “changed the way we think about chest pain”

In the week that marks the 20th anniversary of the sudden loss of actor John Ritter, his widow Amy Yasbeck spoke to Fox News Digital about the circumstances of his death, the misdiagnosis that may have hastened it, and the legacy the couple now carries through a national awareness campaign.

Ritter, best known for his role as Jack Tripper on Three’s Company, was 54 when he collapsed at his home in Los Angeles on September 12, 2003. The autopsy revealed an acute aortic dissection – a tear in the inner layer of the aorta, the body’s largest artery – that ruptured the following night. He had been rushed to the hospital, where he was treated for what the staff thought was a heart attack. Blood‑thinning drugs were administered, but because the underlying problem was not a blockage but a tear, the interventions may have worsened the damage.

“I was sadly misdiagnosed on the night he passed away,” Yasbeck told the interview. “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. And this is sad because it was the opposite.”

The lawsuit Yasbeck filed in 2003 against the physicians was settled in 2008 when a jury found in favor of the doctors. The case, however, helped launch the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health, which Yasbeck and son Tyler – a former actor turned board member – run in an effort to educate the public and medical community about aortic disease.

A campaign to save lives

The foundation is launching a “50 for 50” campaign during Aortic Dissection Awareness Week, running September 13‑19. The goal is to raise $50 from donors and, more importantly, to draw attention to the fact that up to 50 % of people who suffer an aortic dissection die before they reach medical care. Yasbeck says the annual estimates of the condition are likely too low, because many patients never make it to a hospital.

“Improving awareness of the condition is one of the most effective ways to reduce those deaths,” she said. “It’s not just about patients and families; it’s about doctors recognizing that chest pain can signal an aortic dissection, not just a heart attack.”

The foundation’s website explains that a thoracic aortic aneurysm – an enlargement of the main artery that can be detected by screening – often precedes a dissection. If caught early, surgery can be life‑saving. In the Ritter family, routine post‑death screenings revealed that a brother, Tom, had an aneurysm and underwent preventive surgery, while the father’s death is now thought to have been due to an undiagnosed aortic dissection.

Family voices

Tyler Ritter, 41, told Fox News Digital that the legacy of his father’s death has changed how he monitors his own health. “I get scanned every year,” he said. “My kids know I get scanned. They know why I get scanned. And the mission is that he is the last in our family to suffer a dissection.”

He added that the family’s story has given them a “silver lining” – a chance to protect future generations. “If you can spot in a first‑degree relative that there’s a potential for a missed or undiagnosed illness or disease, it would just be worth asking your doctor,” he said.

Yasbeck recalled an episode in which a friend rushed to the emergency department with chest pain and the staff told her they were ordering a CT scan to check for “the John Ritter thing.” The shorthand made her feel a sense of relief. “It was just like this relief came over me. And my buddy gave me the thumbs up.”

Looking forward

The foundation’s campaign is a reminder that aortic dissections, though rare, are treatable if recognized quickly. Yasbeck urges anyone who has family members with a history of early heart disease or unexplained deaths to consider screening. She stresses that while there is no drug to reverse an aortic dissection, controlling blood pressure can lower the risk of developing an aneurysm in the first place.

As Aortic Dissection Awareness Week ends on September 19, the John Ritter Foundation continues to push for better education, faster diagnosis, and, ultimately, more lives saved. The legacy of a beloved actor turns into a national call to action: “The more you know,” Yasbeck says, “the better you can protect yourself and those you love.”