Veteran ABC New York news anchor Bill Ritter has opened up about the early symptoms he experienced years before receiving his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, revealing he began noticing concerning memory issues long before stepping away from the anchor desk.
Ritter, who recently announced his retirement from the 11 p.m. newscast, said he started “forgetting people’s names and places” around two years before the diagnosis, though at the time he didn’t understand what was happening.
The longtime journalist explained that even after reducing his workload to the 6 p.m. broadcast, his symptoms did not improve, prompting him to seek medical testing for the progressive neurodegenerative disease.
Speaking on “Good Morning America,” Ritter shared his emotional reaction upon receiving the diagnosis, revealing his “first reaction” was thinking of his late father, who also died of Alzheimer’s in 1998.
“Then a couple of seconds later, I was scared,” he admitted. “It was like, ‘Wait a minute, I’m supposed to be doing this. What’s going on here?’”
Despite the shock, Ritter said he quickly shifted focus to his family.
“I quickly moved into husband/dad place,” he said, adding that Alzheimer’s impacts families deeply and his priority is now his wife and children.
The 76-year-old journalist also revealed that his diagnosis is “early stage,” and while treatment is currently helping slow the condition, there is no cure yet.
He confirmed that his final broadcast marked the end of a more than 25-year career as a key figure in New York television news, though he will continue working with the network to help report on Alzheimer’s awareness.
Ritter also shared a deeply personal note, mentioning he has a grandson on the way and intends to spend more time with family moving forward.
“Spending more time with my family has now become even more important, because my life has taken a turn,” he said.
ABC has praised Ritter’s long career, highlighting his Emmy-winning investigative journalism work and decades of contribution to major news programs including “Good Morning America Sunday” and “20/20.”
The network added that they look forward to his continued involvement in reporting on Alzheimer’s moving forward.
📌 Source: https://nypost.com/2026/06/15/media/abc-new-york-anchor-bill-ritter-reveals-symptoms-he-experienced-years-before-alzheimers-diagnosis/
