WABC-TV anchor Bill Ritter is leaving his news anchor job due to Alzheimer’s disease

Bill Ritter, former WABC-TV/ABC7 news anchor, is stepping down from “Eyewitness News” after being diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s. Ritter announced on the 6 p.m. news on Friday that this would be his last. Ritter has hosted the station’s 6 p.m. “Eyewitness News” broadcast since 2001.

“After a series of tests, my doctors told me I have Alzheimer’s disease,” Ritter said during Friday’s news broadcast, according to WABC. “It’s early stage Alzheimer’s, and they say the treatments I’m getting will keep it at bay. For now. But there’s no guarantee, because there’s no cure for Alzheimer’s yet. So unless someone finds an amazing cure, and soon, tonight will be the last newscast I host.”

Ritter will continue to work at WABC/Eyewitness News but focus on health issues, including “the rising tide of Alzheimer’s disease and other similar diseases, including how it affects patients and their families, how the price of treatment and the price of care for patients is simply unaffordable and how this country could change that,” he said.

The anchor has been with WABC since 1998; before that he was at the Los Angeles Times, as well as LA stations KTTV and KCAL, and San Diego’s KNSD. He then moved to national, where he anchored “Good Morning America Sunday” and worked on “20/20.”

At WABC, Ritter was named co-anchor of Eyewitness News, 11 p.m., in 1999, adding 6 p.m. in 2001. (He was also the 5 p.m. anchor for a time.) Last year, he left the 11 p.m. slot.

In announcing his diagnosis, Ritter noted that he had been active in the fight against the disease after losing his father to Alzheimer’s in 1998.

“For decades, Bill Ritter has guided New Yorkers through the stories that matter most,” said WABC-TV General Manager Marilu Galvez. “He has been a defining presence at ABC7 and has done so with exceptional insight, integrity and, above all, heart and soul, earning the love and respect of viewers and colleagues alike. While he steps away from day-to-day anchoring, he will remain an integral part of our ABC7 family, including sharing personal updates and providing resources to help others affected by Alzheimer’s disease better understand the disease and the resources available to them. Bill is strong, brilliant and resourceful, and we look forward to his continued reporting on Eyewitness News.”

Here’s Ritter’s full farewell statement, via WABC:

Last year I turned 75 and I thought it was time to cut back a bit. After so many years, I stopped anchoring the 11 o’clock news, and later the 5 o’clock news. My goal was to spend more time with my family. A year ago I became a grandfather thanks to my eldest daughter, and later this summer I will have a second grandchild thanks to my son. In a year, my youngest daughter will graduate from high school, but spending more time with my family has become even more important as my life has taken a turn.

After a series of tests, my doctors told me that I have Alzheimer’s disease. It’s ‘early stage’ Alzheimer’s and they say the treatments I’m getting are keeping it at bay. For now. But there is no guarantee, because there is no cure yet for Alzheimer’s disease. So unless someone finds a great cure, tonight (Friday) will be the last newscast I present.

It’s not easy to say that to all of you, our viewers, and to the people I work with, like the man I worked with for 25 and a half years, our producer, and my friend Zahir Sachedina. I believe we are the longest-running behind-the-scenes news team ever, here and perhaps anywhere – a Muslim producer and a Jewish anchor – for 25 and a half years. That’s what the melting pot of New York and the Tri-State – and I hope the country – is all about.

For 23 of these years I have been anchored next to my remarkable partner and friend Liz Cho. We are the longest-running on-air team in Channel 7 history. And another Eyewitness News record for 20 years, with Lee Goldberg, the best meteorologist in the country, and who is also my great friend.

And our oh-so-talented, as we’ve seen in recent weeks, sports anchor Ryan Field, who makes me laugh every day, and who also likes to laugh at me almost every day. And while I sat with me for 14 years on the 11 o’clock news and later on the 5 o’clock news, I sat next to the great Sade Baderinwa. We remain the longest-running 11 O’Clock team at Eyewitness News.

I also want to thank my bosses at WABC. They treated me and my family with compassion, humanity and love.

As for my family, my kids say, “Dad, you are so brave in all of this.” But no, it’s not me, it’s them who are brave. Just like my wife Kathleen.

So, what should I do now? Well, I’ll continue working. Here at ABC 7. I will continue to help the younger journalists here at Eyewitness News. Hey, I’m 76 now. So to me, everyone in the newsroom is younger than me.

I’ll also continue to be a journalist here at Eyewitness News, so you’ll still see me on air and online. One reason? Because this station wants to dig deeper into the rising tide of Alzheimer’s disease and other diseases like it, including how it affects patients and their families, how the price of treatment and the price of care for patients is simply unaffordable, and how this country could change that.

I am no stranger to this disease. My father died from it in June 1998. Since then, I have been active in the fight to end Alzheimer’s, and I will continue that, along with my friend Mike Marza, who took my place on Eyewitness News last year at ages 5 and 11. Mike’s grandfather died of this disease, and we have organized many Alzheimer’s awareness events together to spread the message.

I’m going to miss the news to you so much. With the truth and with facts, wherever they fall. It has been an honor for me to do that. For now, I wish you health and peace, and let’s take care of each other.