Katey Sagal Reveals Final Moments with John Ritter Before His Mind Blowing Death [WATCH]

Katey Sagal is looking back on the final day she spent working with John Ritter, her costar and onscreen husband on “8 Simple Rules.”

Speaking on Ted Danson’s “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” podcast this week, she recalled how abruptly an ordinary workday became their last together, as reported by Page Six.

Sagal said she “was there” when Ritter died at age 54 in 2003. She focused on the speed of the loss, remembering that only hours separated their press duties from his death later that night.

“We were doing press pretty much at four in the afternoon on that day and then by 10 o’clock that night, he left us,” the actress remembered.

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“8 Simple Rules” was still early in production on Season 2 when Ritter collapsed on the sitcom’s set on Sept. 11, 2003. He was rushed to the hospital, where he died later that evening.

The Emmy Award winner’s symptoms were initially treated as a heart attack. His death was ultimately attributed to thoracic aortic dissection, a condition in which a tear develops in the inner layer of the aorta, the body’s main artery.

Sagal portrayed Ritter’s onscreen wife, Cate Hennessy, on the series. During her conversation with Danson, she explained that the connection she feels to Ritter has continued long after his death.

She described that feeling in deeply personal terms. “It’s interesting, I don’t know what your belief system is, but I feel him around a lot,” she shared. “I just feel him around. His energy and his love of laughter and life.”

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Sagal said that enduring sense of Ritter is connected to the qualities she remembers most clearly, especially his humor and enthusiasm. Even as she acknowledged a more complicated part of his personality, her recollection centered on the light she associated with him.

The “Lost” star said she believes Ritter “had his darker side too,” but also said he “brought so much light that I just feel him around.” Her comments emphasized his energy, his laughter and his love of life.

Sagal also recalled the comedy Ritter created through his facial expressions while they worked together. She said the “Three’s Company” star “would make such big jokes about face acting” during their time on the sitcom.

“Because he had that rubbery face,” she continued. During the podcast conversation, Danson described Ritter as “a sweet soul.”

Following Ritter’s death, “8 Simple Rules” brought James Garner and David Spade into the cast. They played the father and nephew of Sagal’s character, respectively, as the series moved forward without Ritter.

During its first two seasons with Ritter leading the cast, the sitcom was titled “8 Simple Rules… for Dating My Teenage Daughter.”

The show, which also starred Kaley Cuoco, continued for only one more full season before it was canceled after Season 3 because of low ratings.

At the time of his death, Ritter was married to Amy Yasbeck, with whom he shared son Noah Lee.

He also had three other children, actors Jason Ritter and Tyler Ritter, and country singer Carly Ritter, with his first wife, Nancy Morgan.

In 2023, Yasbeck spoke to Fox News Digital about the ways Ritter’s four children help preserve her memories of him.

She highlighted their individual senses of humor rather than any attempts to copy their father.

“There’s no way to not keep John’s memory alive. All four kids are freaking hilarious, and they do not have to imitate their dad. They’ve all got their own thing,” she said.

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