Henry Winkler Still Has a Water Bottle From the Day Pal John Ritter Died: 'I Have Had It in Its Weird State'

Henry Winkler revealed that he still has a memento to remember his friend John Ritter, after the actor died in the early 2000s following a fall on set.

"That water bottle was on the set when I was asked by John Ritter to participate in his 8 Simple Rules," Winkler, 80, explained in an interview with Graham Bensinger. "And I took the water bottle and never quite opened it, so I have had it in its weird state since."

The Arrested Development actor explained that though the bottle was scrunched up, the logo from the ABC series remained intact.

"He passed away that day," Winker recalled. "You know, I left the set, and 11:00 at night I got called, and they said, 'We lost John.' I went, 'What do you mean you lost John?' And he passed away. I saw him at about 4 or 5:00 that afternoon for the last time. Terrible."

Winkler, best known for his role on the 1970's sitcom Happy Days, was set to star in a guest role on the sitcom 8 Simple Rules, which costarred Ritter, Katey Sagal and Kaley Cuoco. The sitcom aired on ABC from 2002 to 2005.

While on set on September 11, 2003, Ritter collapsed and later died that day from what was determined to be an aortic dissection.

Winkler remembered the Three's Company star as a "professional" who kept "everybody laughing" when he testified in a lawsuit regarding Ritter's death in 2011. He explained that they had a conversation just hours before his death, adding that he did not suspect anything was seriously wrong with him.

"We were reminiscing,” Winkler recalled of the day Ritter died in court. "He was sweating (and said) ‘I really need to get some water.’ I said ‘I really need to memorize my lines.’ And he went one way and I went the other. And that was the last time I saw him."

Winkler explained that the late star was thrilled that "lightning struck twice" and he had another popular show under his belt, adding, "He loved everyone in the cast, and they loved him."