Katey Sagal Opens Up About The Tragedy That Rocked 8 Simple Rules

Following John Ritter's death, "8 Simple Rules” went on a brief hiatus. Rather than cancel the show, writers ultimately decided to let the actors and their on-screen characters grieve together in real time. Ritter's death was written into the plot, and Cate Hennessy suddenly found herself a single mother of three. Katey Sagal was now the show's driving force. According to SeattlePi, 20 million people tuned in to watch the teary-eyed return, a one-hour episode titled "Goodbye."

"It was a real tough call for everybody to decide to continue the show or to not continue," Sagal tells The List. "And then when they made the decision to play it in real time, that dad really died. And that was a brave choice ... suddenly it was a single mom. But it was really weird. It was heartbreaking. He was the whole show and just such a big love vibe. He was so great."

Years after Ritter's unexpected passing, the show's stars remain bonded by tragedy. "It was absolutely heartbreaking. It still is," she says. "I just saw Jason Ritter the other day, and I still talk to Kaley [Cuoco] and Amy [Davidson]. We feel like we all went through a life-changing experience."

Catch Katey Sagal in Blumhouse's "Torn Hearts," which is now available for digital rental and purchase.

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