JEAN SMART: MY HUBBY DIDN’T HAVE TO DIE!
Heart problem went undetected
HEARTBROKEN “Designing Women” star Jean Smart believes her beloved husband of 34 years, actor Richard Gilliland, didn’t have to die!
Richard, 71, passed away suddenly on March 18 from an undiagnosed heart problem! “They had no reason to believe whatsoever that he had any issues with his heart,” said Jean in an interview. “So it was very shocking!”
The 69-year-old actress — who recently played Kate Winslet’s mother in the acclaimed series “Mare of Easttown” — explained she and her husband had gotten their COVID vaccinations, “but I still feel like he was a victim of the pandemic because I took him — when he started not feeling well, I thought it was a delayed reaction to the immunization,” she said.
“So I took him to urgent care … and even though he was 71 and complaining of tightness in his chest, they didn’t do an EKG!”
Jean said they returned home, but as her husband got even worse, she took him to the hospital — “and that was when they realized how sick he was!”
But a pal said the grieving actress is distraught over how it all went down.
“Jean’s convinced that if she’d taken him to the hospital in the first place, her husband might still be here today!” shared the friend.
Jean was filming the HBO Max series “Hacks,” where she plays a fading comedian, when Richard died — and she still had to do a funeral scene! “I was a wreck, but it actually turned out to be very funny,” she said.
The two first met on the set of “Designing Women,” where Richard played J.D., the boyfriend of Mary Jo, played by Annie Potts.
“I met him when he was kissing someone else,” said Jean, who played Charlene on the popular sitcom.
The couple got married in 1987 and had two children — son Connor, 31, and adopted daughter Bonnie, 12.
“I think they’re handling this better than I am,” said Jean. “I wouldn’t be here, you know, without him, you know? And I just wish I could enjoy it with him.”