ABC Anchor Bill Ritter Says He Has Early-Stage Alzheimer’s, Announces Retirement

American news anchor Bill Ritter, 76, announced live on Friday that he is retiring after being diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Speaking on ABC in New York, he said he wanted to share a “very personal message,” explaining that recent tests led doctors to tell him he has Alzheimer’s and that treatment has so far been able to slow it down, “at least for now.” He added that there is still no cure.

Ritter said that unless “someone finds a truly amazing cure very soon,” that night’s newscast would be the last one he anchors. “It’s not easy for me to say all this to you, our viewers, and to the people I work with,” he said.

He also spoke about the impact on his family, saying his children call him brave, but “it’s not me who is brave, it’s them, and my wife, Kathleen.” Ritter noted that he is not the first person in his family to face the disease. His father died of Alzheimer’s in June 1998.

Ritter said he has been active in efforts to stop Alzheimer’s since then and will continue that work. He closed by saying he will miss delivering the news “with truth and facts, wherever they lead,” called it an honor, and wished viewers health and peace, urging people to “take care of each other.”