Bill Ritter Retires From WABC Anchor Desk at 76 After Early-Stage Alzheimer's Diagnosis
Updated
Updated · E! NEWS · Jun 14
Bill Ritter Retires From WABC Anchor Desk at 76 After Early-Stage Alzheimer's Diagnosis
3 articles · Updated · E! NEWS · Jun 14
Summary
Bill Ritter said on WABC's June 12 newscast that doctors diagnosed him with early-stage Alzheimer's, making that broadcast his last as an anchor.
Treatments are keeping the disease at bay for now, he said, but with no cure and no guarantee, he is stepping back to spend more time with his family.
Ritter, who joined WABC in 1998, will not leave the station entirely and plans to remain on air and online while mentoring younger journalists.
The 76-year-old said the illness is deeply personal because his father died with Alzheimer's in 1998, and he intends to keep advocating against the disease.