WABC-TV’s Eyewitness News anchor Bill Ritter announced his sudden resignation in June. He revealed live on the air that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The local news anchor opened up about coming to terms with the shocking diagnosis that made him quit the job he loved. Keep reading for more details on the heartbreaking situation.
Bill Ritter Was Initially Misdiagnosed
Bill Ritter began delivering the news to New York City residents tuning in to WABC-TV in 1998. But several years ago, he privately began to struggle with memory issues, especially remembering certain words. Television viewers were none the wiser that he was struggling with his memory. On June 12, he announced that he was stepping down amid a serious health issue.
He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. However, doctors initially thought the issue was less serious. Bill Ritter and his wife, Kathleen Friery, spoke to PEOPLE magazine about his symptoms and early-Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Bill Ritter described his memory loss as “weird” in the beginning. In the beginning, it was that feeling of, ‘What’’s their name? It’s on the tip of my tongue,’” he recalled.
His wife also knew something was wrong, but was “nervous” to bring it up to him. However, his response wasn’t what she expected. “You don’t want to be the one to bring it up. But when I did, Bill didn’t dismiss my concerns. He said. “Oh, yeah. I’m feeling it.’”
The couple sought help from doctors in 2024. Bill Ritter’s doctors initially thought he suffered from mild cognitive impairment, or MCI. “They said, ‘MCI can sometimes be an on-ramp to Alzheimer’s, but sometimes it’s not. Sometimes people have those symptoms and they actually get better. So we thought ‘Okay, this is age appropriate. It’s not Alzheimer’s that we’re aware of yet. We’ll just watch it,’” his wife said. However, the memory problems got worse.
ABC Anchor Opens Up About Coming To Terms With Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
Once he was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Bill Ritter knew his time as a news anchor was over. He’s become an advocate and educator about the disease since leaving WABC-TV’s Eyewitness News. But coming to terms with the diagnosis wasn’t as easy as it seems.
“My first thought was, ‘Oh my God, it’s going to really be hard on this family,’” Bill Ritter recalled thinking. He shares a 17-year-old daughter with Kathleen Friery, and two adult children with his ex-wife.
“But within a few minutes, I thought, ‘Okay, we’ve got to deal with this.’ I don’t wallow very well,” he said. Bill Ritter relied on his decades as a news anchor to help him cope. “We all have a mantra at WABC, which is to report the fact wherever they lie, no matter what side of the table you’re on. And that sort of takes over in times like this. ‘What’s the truth?’ And now, we take it from here.”
The former WABC anchor is on medication for Alzheimer’s and continues to spread awareness about the disease. Stay tuned for more on his shocking diagnosis.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger