John Ritter’s Wife Still Not Ready to Date 19 Years after His Death - She Recalls His Final Words in Sign Language

Beloved actor John Ritter and his wife Amy Yasbeck first met on set, and he became her tutor on acting matters. Unfortunately, four years after they married, Ritter signed his final words to his wife moments before he met his untimely death. He left behind four children and a wife who, despite being widowed for two decades, is not ready to move on and date again.

Long before actor John Ritter landed the role of Jack Tripper in "Three's Company," which set him on the path to stardom, he was already making a name for himself with guest appearances as Ronnie in "Medical Center," Kenny Soames in "Kojak," Richard in "Great Performances," and John Steiner in "The Streets of San Francisco."

He hosted and starred in several TV specials, such as "John Ritter: Being of Sound Mind and Body," before launching a production company, Adam Productions, in 1984.

Over the years, he continued to grace the silver screen, gaining popularity and winning accolades. Ritter was born in 1948 to "Rainbow Over The Range" actress Dorothy Fay Southworth and actor and country singer Tex Ritter.

However, despite him and his brother Tom growing up in the spotlight, Ritter had no aspirations to become an actor. After completing high school, he joined the University of Southern California, bent on studying Psychology and Architecture.

Two years later, someone persuaded him to give drama class a try. Under the tutorage of actress and drama coach Nina Foch, Ritter soon changed his mind about drama and switched his major to Theatre Arts.

He started taking on roles in stage performances, such as William Shakespeare's "As You Like It," Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie," and A. R. Gurney's "Love Letters," before graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama in 1970.

For a man who was initially not interested in becoming an actor, he soon became a celebrated one after landing his breakthrough role playing Jack Tripper in "Three's Company," a sitcom about three attractive singles who share an apartment.

Desperate for a place to rent, Tripper comes across a perfect apartment but has to declare himself homosexual so the owner can accept him. His performance on the show won him a Golden Globe and an Emmy.

He went on to star in several other films, including the 1987 "Real Men," the 1990 "Problem Child," and "The Dinner Party," among many others, for which he became a household name and gained international critical acclaim.

A prolific acting career aside, Ritter was also a husband, having been married to his wife in 1977 until their divorce in 1996. They welcomed three children Tyler, Carly, and Jason. Following the collapse of his union, the actor then married his second wife, Amy Yasbeck, in 1999.

Who Was John Ritter's Second Wife? A Story of Love and Loss

Like her husband, Yasbeck is also an actress recognized for her roles in "The Mask" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." The pair first met during the "Problem Child" read-through at the director Dennis Dugan's house in 1990.

They bonded over their mutual love for acting and went on to appear together on "The Cosby Show." Ritter also appeared on Amy's show "Wings" before the two finally tied the knot in 1999. Yasbeck recalls:

"John and I bonded over comedy, where we'd watch old comedies."

Yasbeck considers Ritter a master of comedy, and in the years that followed, he taught her a lot, including physical comedy, at which he was outstanding.

A year before they married, the pair welcomed their first and only child together, Stella Ritter, who has since transitioned to a man and is currently known as Noah Lee.

Ritter Meets His Untimely Death — A Recount of His Final Moments

Despite a career three decades in the making, Ritter did not seem to be slowing down. In 2000, he took on a role voicing the title character in "Clifford the Big Red Dog." He also played Bob Chipeska in "Bad Santa" and starred in "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter," alongside Katey Sagal and Kaley Cuoco.

Unfortunately, the actor met his untimely death on September 11, 2003. He had been filming an episode of the aforementioned show when he started complaining of chest pains.

Soon after, a doctor told [Yasbeck] that Ritter was "crashing" but assured her that a surgeon was coming.

He soon began feeling nauseous and vomiting. He was rushed to the Providence St. Joseph Medical Center across from the Burbank Studios but breathed his last a few hours later. He was 54.

Reports say he died from an aortic dissection, a condition characterized by an abnormal separation of the walls of the aorta. Ritter is said to have fallen on the set of the show he was working on, and the fall caused the dissection.

Years after his death, Yasbeck gave a step-by-step account of the last moments with her husband. She retold how she was summoned to the hospital as her husband had been admitted for a heart attack and needed an angiogram, a type of X-ray used to examine blood vessels.

She arrived at the hospital and found her husband scared. She then asked the presiding doctor Dr. Joseph Lee whether they could get a second opinion, a request the doctor refuted, saying there was no time as Ritter was in the middle of a heart attack.

The doctor then asked Ritter to sign a consent form and read him all the details therein. In a bid to reassure her husband, Yasbeck leaned close to Ritter and told him she knew he was scared, but he had to be brave because the doctors knew what they were doing. "And he was brave for all the time I saw him," She said.

The hospital staff then wheeled Ritter down the hall on a gurney, and as he neared the corner, he signed the words "I love you," to which Yasbeck mouthed back the exact words. That would be the last she saw of her husband.

She recalled how, soon after her husband was wheeled away, she overheard someone calling "code blue," an emergency announcement she recognized from having auditioned for "ER." Soon after, a doctor told her that Ritter was "crashing" but assured her that a surgeon was coming.

Ritter's ex-wife and son Jason soon joined her, and at some point, the surgeon spoke to them, saying that it was over and Ritter was dead. He said they had tried all they could, but the damage was already done by the time the actor got to the hospital.

Losing her husband was a life-shattering moment for Yasbeck, but even worse, she had to go home and tell her daughter, who was five at the time, that her dad was no more. She later disclosed what a daunting experience it was seeing her daughter miss her father every day.

Yasbeck Sues the Hospital for Malpractice

In 2008, five years after her husband's demise, Yasbeck sued Dr. Matthew Lotysch, the radiologist who had performed a body scan on Ritter two years before his demise, and the cardiologist, Dr. Joseph Lee, for malpractice.

According to Moses Lebovits, an attorney for John Ritter's family, Ritter's death resulted from negligence from the medical staff to whom he had entrusted his life.

Lebovits told the jury that Lee's failure to order an X-ray and Lotysch's failure to warn the actor about the danger of his enlarged aorta two years earlier led to the "Skin Deep" actor's death.

Lebovits argued that had the radiologist diagnosed the actor accurately, he would still be alive doing what he did best. He would still be acting, entertaining his fans, earning millions of dollars on the show, and being a husband and father to his wife and daughter, now son.

Before Lebovits spoke, Lotysch and Lee argued their case, claiming that Ritter was at fault for his own death for failing to follow instructions to seek medical assistance earlier. A lot of back and forth later, Ritter's family won the case. Yasbeck and Ritter's four children were awarded $14 million as a settlement.

Ritter's Widow and Children Today, 20 Years Since His Demise

It is five months short of Ritter's 20th death anniversary, but even after so long, his widow is still not ready to date. She has spent the last years two decades navigating life without her husband by her side. And she misses him a lot.

She has strived to keep her husband's memories alive all those years but declares that letting someone else into her life would make her miss him more. She says she's never in the mood for dating, and if she did date, she would miss him even more.

The "Splash, too" actress revealed that she still feels his presence despite many years passing. Referencing Ritter's show "Three's Company," she said being with someone else would make it weird because "three is not company."

She holds on to his beautiful memories as a husband and a costar on various shows. She says he often kept everyone entertained, and it did not matter whether there was an audience or not. His love for show business was not something he turned on like a switch; it was there with him every minute of the day.

She says her husband was like a conductor that also played in the symphony. She remains in awe of how he did it, but she says he was excellent at what he did.

To commemorate her dear husband, Yasbeck created the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health, which brings awareness to people about aortic dissection and any health issues surrounding it. The foundation has helped many people with the condition, both strangers and even people from her husband's side of the family.

Even though the actress is not ready to pursue a romantic relationship, she continues to carry her husband's torch high with her acting. She says the best thing about acting is the little families actors create in the form of costars.

She is, however, only one of many who experienced a void after Ritter's death. His children also miss him and try hard to move on with their lives.

Jason, the oldest of the Ritter bunch, who he shared with his first wife, also took after his dad and is an actor. His most recognized roles in "A Million Little Things," "Raise Your Voice," "The Intervention," "You're Not You," and "The Tale."

His first screen appearance was in the opening credits of "Three's Company." Additionally, he has also played the recurring role of Mark Cyr in "Parenthood," a part that has won him an Emmy nomination. Other credits include voicing Ryder in "Frozen 11."

Tyler Ritter also followed in his father's footsteps and has played Ronny McCarthy, the gay son in "The McCarthys," and Detective Bill Malon in "Arrow." He is also known for playing Abby Sciuto's brother in "NCIS," as well as taking on guest roles in "Grey's Anatomy" and "Modern Family."

Carly, 39, also joined the bandwagon and is an actress known for appearing in "Bridge School News," "Monsieur Ballons," "Slice," and "Artbound."

Unlike her older brothers, who have pursued acting as their sole career, Carly has also dipped her feet into the music world, releasing her debut album in 2013.

The album became a hit resulting in a solo deal offer by Vanguard Records. However, she has since quit her solo career and plays alongside other musicians. Her songs include hits like "Save Your Love," This Place Aint Our Home," and It Is Love," among others.

Noah, the youngest of the bunch, started acting as a child before landing his breakthrough role in the 2007 "This Is My Friend." Five years later, he appeared in "The Namanzu," then a year after that took on a role in "Hannah Lost Her Smile."

Even as Ritter continues to rest, his legacy lives on in the foundation launched by his wife that has helped hundreds and in his children who have all sought inspiration from his work and become sought-after actors.