Submitted by: kirkland on Friday September 10th, 2004 at 12:45 PM EST

The family of the late TV sitcom star John Ritter has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a Burbank hospital, alleging that a misdiagnosis of his condition contributed to his unexpected death last year.

Ritter, 54, was taken by ambulance to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center last September 11 after complaining of chest pain on the set of the ABC series "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter." He died on the operating table as surgeons tried to repair a tear in his aorta.

The suit, brought by Ritter's widow, actress Amy Yasbeck, and his four children, alleges that doctors initially misdiagnosed Ritter's condition as a heart attack. It seeks unspecified damages against the hospital and its medical staff.

Ritter, son of legendary movie cowboy Tex Ritter and actress Dorothy Fay, first rose to fame in the late 1970s playing Jack Tripper on the sitcom "Three's Company." He won an Emmy as best actor in a comedy series in 1984.

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