Actor John Ritter’s death 20 years ago helped raise awareness about heart disease, which is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood, but often preventable.

His wife, actress Amy Yasbeck, continues to honor her husband’s legacy while helping a Maryland family also affected by tragedy.

“This medical legacy is a part of me that I feel I need to carry on,” Yasbeck said.

The popular actor, who rose to fame as Jack Tripper on Three’s Company, suffered an aortic dissection, a tear in the aorta that carries blood from the heart to the body, at the age of 54. Doctors initially thought it was a heart attack because the symptoms were similar.

“It’s a completely different treatment,” Yasbeck said. “John came in complaining of chest pain and they started treatment with blood thinners and an angiogram, and they did an autopsy. It wasn’t a block. It was a tear. It wasn’t his heart. . It was his main artery.”

She established a foundation in his name to save and change lives.

“Because when John died, what I heard in the hospital was that he couldn’t see this happening. It’s like, it’s a ticking time bomb, but I’m MacGyver. “Don’t be afraid of a ticking time bomb. What if you knew how to defuse it?” Yasbeck said.

On the John Ritter Foundation website, Ritter’s Rules educate about how to recognize, treat, and prevent aortic dissection. Yasbeck’s inbox has been flooded with emails from strangers affected by her husband’s death.

“We have the most amazing inbox, which is our foundation, because people feel so alone when this happens to them. Because we’re told this is a very rare thing. We never expected that to happen,” she said.

Next month, Yasbeck plans to host a fundraiser in Frederick, Maryland, in memory of a family suffering from the same heart condition.

“I have a family member that is as close to my heart as my aorta is to my heart, right?” she said. “Cindy Letterer lost her husband Jeff, and we talked about it forever because it’s lonely. Being a widow is always lonely. But when the rest of the family gets caught up in the same disease… Everyone is energized when they have the possibility to do something.”

Aortic dissection has a genetic component. After Ritter’s sudden death, his younger brother was tested and found to have a similar heart condition, which was successfully treated through surgery. Genetic testing and CT scans can diagnose aortic dissection.

“If you have any doubts, if you are under the age of 60 and have a family history of unexplained premature death, please proceed with caution and safety,” Yasbeck said. “If you go to the hospital with chest pain, you can say, “Please, measure my aorta.” Look up John Ritter.” What is that? What is it called? People’s lives have been saved this way.”

The March 15 fundraiser at Frederick’s Civic Ballroom will feature games and prizes. The goal is to raise $50,000. Tickets are available here.