Two months after stepping down from the WABC anchor desk following his early-stage Alzheimer's diagnosis, Bill Ritter is sharing new details about his health, his family and what comes next.
Newsday's Verne Gay visited Ritter, 76, and his wife, veteran TV news producer Kathleen Friery, at their home in East Quogue in late July. Friery said she first noticed changes in 2023 - initial testing came back as mild cognitive impairment, which doesn't always progress to dementia. By 2025, despite Ritter cutting back to a single nightly broadcast, the memory issues hadn't improved. A spinal tap that October confirmed early-stage Alzheimer's.
"I'm very proud of how Bill is choosing to deal with this," Friery said, adding that the public response since his June announcement "kind of strangely restored my faith in humanity."
Ritter revealed he'd likely have retired by June 2027 regardless of the diagnosis, and drew a striking parallel to his predecessor, Bill Beutel, who also stepped down from the same anchor desk 25 years earlier while dealing with undiagnosed cognitive decline that was later found to be Lewy body dementia.
Away from the anchor desk, Ritter is leaning into family life - kayaking, biking and time with his three children and first grandchild, with a second on the way. He remains at WABC in a new role, launching "Bill Ritter Reports: Living with Alzheimer's" and mentoring younger journalists, while continuing decades-long volunteer work with YAI and the Alzheimer's Association.
For families walking a similar road, Ritter and Friery's openness points to something many faith communities hold close: that showing up for one another - honestly, patiently, without pretending - often matters more than having every answer.
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