Longtime WABC TV anchor Bill Ritter delivered an emotional farewell on Friday’s Eyewitness News after revealing he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Ritter, 76, told viewers that he was signing off from the anchor desk for the final time unless doctors find a major breakthrough soon.
“After a series of tests, my doctors have told me I have Alzheimer’s,” Ritter said during the broadcast.
He explained that doctors have described it as “early stage” Alzheimer’s and said treatments are helping keep the disease under control for now. But Ritter said there are no guarantees.
“There’s no cure yet for Alzheimer’s,” he told viewers. “So, unless someone finds an amazing cure, and really soon, tonight will be the last newscast I anchor.”
Ritter has anchored the 6 p.m. newscast in New York since 2001 and has been with WABC since 1998.
Although he is stepping away from the anchor desk, Ritter said he will remain with the station in a newly created role focused on Alzheimer’s and similar conditions.
The diagnosis is especially personal for Ritter, whose father died from Alzheimer’s in 1998.
“It is not easy for me to say all that to you, our viewers and the people I work with,” Ritter said.
He paid tribute to longtime producer Zahir Sachedina, whom he called his friend and colleague of more than 25 years.
Ritter described their partnership as one that reflected the spirit of New York, noting that they were “a Muslim producer, and a Jewish anchor” working together for more than two decades.
“It’s what the melting pot of New York and the Tri-State — and I would hope the country — is all about,” he said.
Ritter also acknowledged his co-anchor Liz Cho and other members of the Eyewitness News team during the emotional sign-off.
“I am going to so miss reporting the news to all of you with the truth and the facts, no matter where they fall,” Ritter said.
He closed his final newscast with a simple message to viewers.
“It has been my honor to do just that,” Ritter said. “But for now, I wish you health and peace. And let’s take care of each other.”
