Richard Kline is remembering "Three's Company" costar John Ritter and the misdiagnosis that led to the actor's 2003 death.
Kline, 82, opened up about Ritter during The John Ritter Foundation's "Three's Company" 50th anniversary celebration on Monday, Nov. 2. The actor told People that Ritter would still be alive if doctors hadn't missed his thoracic aortic dissection.
"Had we had this kind of knowledge in 2003, my dear departed friend John would still be with us," he told the outlet ahead of a stage reading and auction in honor of the anniversary. "The work that Amy, his wife, has been doing and the foundation has been doing for the last 20-some-odd years is incredible."
Kline also revealed that the foundation's work promoting research and awareness
of thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection helped save another Ritter family member.
"Little-known fact: It saved the life of John's brother because he was then scanned and diagnosed for an aortic tear," Kline said. "He went into the operating room. Saved his life."
Ritter was 54 when he died of an aortic dissection on Sept. 11, 2003. He had been hospitalized and mistakenly treated for a heart attack after experiencing health issues while in rehearsals for the sitcom "8 Simple Rules." His family received millions in settlements after taking legal action against the hospital and other defendants for his wrongful death.
An aortic dissection is a tear in the inner layer of the aorta, the body's main artery, according to the Mayo Clinic. When blood rushes through the tear, it causes the artery's layers to split, or dissect, causing sudden severe pain and stroke-like symptoms. If the blood goes outside the artery, the result can be deadly. According to the clinic, aortic dissections are commonly misdiagnosed.
Ritter's widow, Amy Yasbeck, told the outlet that star aortopathic researcher Dr. Dianna Milewicz helped shed light on the medical emergency diagnosis.
"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,'" Yasbeck told People. "Because that's when a dissection can happen. Four years on from when John passed away, [his brother] 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."
Kline joined one of the last remaining living costars, Joyce DeWitt, for the stage reading of the show's original pilot episode, where Jason Biggs read for Jack (Ritter), Christine Taylor read for Chrissy (Suzanne Somers), Richard Kind read for Stanley (Norman Fell) and Susie Essman read for Helen (Audra Lindley).
Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Three's Company' star Richard Kline recalls late John Ritter's misdiagnosis
