Richard Kline Believes His “Three’s Company” Costar John Ritter Would ‘Still Be with Us’ If People Knew in 2003 What They Know Now (Exclusive)
Richard Kline Believes His “Three’s Company” Costar John Ritter Would ‘Still Be with Us’ If People Knew in 2003 What They Know Now (Exclusive)
Esther Lian, Angela AndaloroTue, November 3, 2026 at 8:22 PM UTC
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John Ritter (left), Richard Kline at the ‘Three’s Company’ 50th Anniversary Live Reading in New York City (Nov. 2026)Credit: CBS via Getty; Bryan Bedder/Getty -
Richard Kline played Larry Davis on Three’s Company from 1977 to 1984
Kline served as the narrator for the Three’s Company staged reading in celebration of the beloved sitcom’s 50th anniversary, presented by The John Ritter Foundation, in New York City on Monday, Nov. 2
Kline spoke exclusively with PEOPLE about why he’s passionate about raising awareness around aortic dissection, the cause of Ritter’s sudden death in Sept. 2003 at the age of 54
Richard Kline is cherishing the opportunity to honor his late friend.
The Three’s Company actor gathered with others from the beloved sitcom for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Three’s Company, presented by The John Ritter Foundation, in New York City on Monday, Nov. 2.
Speaking with PEOPLE alongside Jason Biggs, who lent his talents to the staged reading, Kline, 82, shared his excitement about working with Biggs, who was taking on Ritter’s iconic Jack Ripper. The reading also featured Christine Taylor as Chrissy Snow, Bellamy Young as Janet Wood, Richard Kind as Stanley Roper and Susie Essman as Helen Roper.
“I’m a fan, believe it or not, [of Biggs] and the other actors. But I’m mainly excited to support this foundation, which is so incredibly important,” Kline told PEOPLE.
John Ritter and Richard Kline in ‘Three’s Company’ (Dec. 1981)Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
“Had we had this kind of knowledge in 2003, my dear departed friend John would still be with us,” he said. “The work that Amy, his wife, has been doing and the foundation has been doing for the last 20-some-odd years is incredible. Little-known fact: It saved the life of John’s brother because he was then scanned and diagnosed for an aortic tear.”Kline continued, “He went into the operating room. Saved his life. It’s an honor to be here and to be with my peers. Looking forward to it.”
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Ritter’s widow, Amy Yasbeck, elaborated on the story in her own conversation with PEOPLE amid the night’s events. She explained, “John died in 2003 of an undiagnosed, and then misdiagnosed in the emergency room, thoracic aortic dissection. We were educated after that by Dr. Dianna Milewicz, who’s here and is the star genetic researcher in aortopathies in the field.”
“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,’ which is like that ballooning, right? Because that’s when a dissection can happen. Four years on from when John passed away, 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,” the actress, 64, continued.
Richard Klin and John Ritter in ‘Three’s Company’ (Oct. 1978)Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
“Then it was like, ‘Okay, this is on. This is genetic.’ Their father was a singing cowboy named Tex Ritter, and he died suddenly of what was, in those days, deemed to be and assumed to be a heart attack. But now we know it was most likely an aortic dissection,” she said.
Yasbeck acknowledged that while people are still learning about aortic dissection and there’s work to be done, “There’s definitely a pre-John Ritter awareness and a post-John Ritter awareness.”
“Sadly, John died in the waning hours of the pre-John Ritter awareness. So now we know it’s not as rare as people thought, and there are steps you can take to avoid a family tragedy,” she concluded.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
