NEWSKatey Sagal Reveals She Did '8 Simple Rules' Press With John Ritter Hours Before His 'Mind-Blowing' Death
Katey Sagal shared a heartbreaking memory of John Ritter's final day while promoting '8 Simple Rules.'
Aug. 6 2026, Published 2:19 p.m. ET
Katey Sagal did press for 8 Simple Rules with John Ritter a few hours before his "mind-blowing" death.
On the August 5 episode of the "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" podcast, host Ted Danson asked if Ritter was working on the ABC sitcom at the time of his death.
Sagal shared, "I was there, yes. 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."
Katey Sagal Commented on John Ritter's Death
Katey Sagal recalled John Ritter’s sudden death after he suffered an aortic dissection on the set of '8 Simple Rules.'
On September 11, 2003, when the 8 Simple Rules cast and crew had shot just three episodes of the show’s second season, Ritter reportedly began experiencing discomfort and collapsed on the set.
Initially, it was believed to be a heart attack. However, later that night, the late star died from a "dissection of the aorta," a previously undetected flaw in the main artery from the heart, as per his publicists, via People.
Ritter was 54 at the time of his death.
Katey Sagal reflected on John Ritter’s lasting impact and said she still felt his energy around her.
Recalling his death over two decades later, Sagal shared how shocked she was because she had seen him just six hours before the devastating incident.
She told Danson, "It’s interesting, I don’t know what your belief system is, but I 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 that I just feel him around."
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Sagal Said Ritter Used to make 'Such Big Jokes About Face Acting'
Katey Sagal recalled John Ritter’s playful personality while discussing their time on '8 Simple Rules.'
While talking about face acting with Danson, Sagal candidly reminisced about Ritter.
"When I worked with John Ritter, he used to always, he would make such big jokes about face acting," she laughed, adding that the actor "had that rubbery face."
To this, host Danson shared that he knows Ritter's son, Jason, and added that he remembers him as a "sweet soul."
Ritter played Paul Hennessy in the sitcom, while Sagal embodied the character of his wife, Cate Hennessy.
Kaley Cuoco Also Shared Her Memories With Ritter
Kaley Cuoco also frequently shared memories of how John Ritter impacted her during their time working together.
Kaley Cuoco, who was also one of Ritter's co-stars on 8 Simple Rules (she played one of the on-screen couple's three children), frequently shared memories of how the late actor impacted her during their time working together.
At The John Ritter Foundation Evening from the Heart Los Angeles Gala in Hollywood, California, she confessed to People, "He changed the course of my life. He was there at the beginning of my career. I spent a year and a half with him, but it changed my life, my entire life."
"I talk about him like it was yesterday, and he affected me as if he’s been here up until this point," she explained. "He taught me to make people laugh, he told me to not take yourself so seriously, and he taught me to do anything for the joke. He had a heart that was bigger than this planet."
