What To Know
- Katey Sagal reflected on the sudden death of her friend and 8 Simple Rules costar John Ritter.
- Sagal shared that Ritter’s presence and joyful spirit continue to impact her life.
Katey Sagal has never forgotten the day she lost her friend and 8 Simple Rules costar John Ritter. More than two decades after his sudden death, the actress reflected on the heartbreaking events of that day during an appearance on the podcast Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (Sometimes), recalling not only being with Ritter during his final hours but also the lasting impact he continues to have on her life.
The cast had completed just three episodes of 8 Simple Rules‘ second season when tragedy struck. On September 11, 2003, Ritter collapsed on the set of the comedy after filming promotional material. His condition was initially believed to be a heart attack, but doctors later determined he had suffered an aortic dissection from an undiagnosed tear in the main artery leading from the heart. He was 54.
Looking back on the day in a recent interview, Sagal recalled how quickly everything changed.
“I was there, yes,” Sagal shared. “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.”
“It was mind-blowing,” said the actress about the sad turn of events.
She added that she still feels Ritter’s presence today. “But it’s interesting, I don’t know what your belief system is, but I feel him around a lot. I just feel him around. A lot. I just feel him around. His energy and his love of laughter and life. Even though I think he had his darker side, too, he just brought so much light. I just feel him around.”
Sagal also reflected on Ritter’s death during a 2024 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, explaining that the cast had just finished filming a promotional spot when he began feeling ill.
“We shot a promo, and he didn’t feel well, and so at four in the afternoon, he went to his room, after we shot the promo, and we all went home — we were done for the day,” she said.
Production on 8 Simple Rules shut down for about a month following Ritter’s death before eventually resuming with James Garner joining the cast to help the series move forward.
The cast took a month-long break before producers brought in James Garner.
After his passing, Sagal also took the witness stand during the 2008 wrongful death trial stemming from Ritter’s death. Her testimony was brief but emotional. “I loved John,” she told the jury. The testimony underscored the close friendship the two shared both on and off screen as Ritter’s family pursued a negligence lawsuit over the care he received on the night of his death.