Richard Kline says co-star John Ritter would ‘still be with us’ with today’s medical knowledge
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Richard Kline has reflected on his ‘Three’s Company’ co-star John Ritter’s death, who died in 2003 from an aortic dissection.
The 82-year-old actor said that Ritter “would still be with us” if “we had this kind of knowledge in 2003,” as reported by PEOPLE.
Kline celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the beloved sitcom alongside others in New York City on Monday, November 2. The celebration was presented by The John Ritter Foundation.
Richard Kline hails The John Ritter Foundation and its work
Speaking with the publication, he said, “I’m a fan, believe it or not, [of Biggs] and the other actors. But I’m mainly excited to support this foundation, which is so incredibly important.”
The television director further mentioned that “had we had this kind of knowledge in 2003, my dear departed friend John would still be with us. The work that Amy, his wife, has been doing and the foundation has been doing for the last 20-some-odd years is incredible.”
“Little-known fact: It saved the life of John’s brother because he was then scanned and diagnosed for an aortic tear,” Kline revealed, before adding, “He went into the operating room. Saved his life. It’s an honor to be here and to be with my peers. Looking forward to it.”
John Ritter's wife explains The John Ritter Foundation's work
Ritter’s widow, Amy Yasbeck, also shed light on the foundation’s work and how it helped her brother-in-law.
She said, “John died in 2003 of an undiagnosed, and then misdiagnosed in the emergency room, thoracic aortic dissection. We were educated after that by Dr Dianna Milewicz, who’s here and is the star genetic researcher in aortopathies in the field.”
“The first thing she said to me was, ‘Everyone needs an echocardiogram, and then keep that up every year to make sure that your aorta doesn’t become aneurysmal,’ which is like that ballooning, right? Because that’s when a dissection can happen. Four years on from when John passed away, Tom’s showed an aneurysm in the ascending portion, which is right where John’s was. So he had lifesaving surgery. He had his aortic arch replaced,” the 64-year-old actress explained.
Yasbeck also added that the condition is genetic, as her father-in-law “was a singing cowboy named Tex Ritter, and he died suddenly of what was, in those days, deemed to be and assumed to be a heart attack. But now we know it was most likely an aortic dissection.”
