Patrick Duffy may be doing well now, but he's gone through quite a lot of tragedy in his life,
including the loss of his parents and wife. Here
are tragic details about the life and career of Patrick Duffy.
In 1986, Patrick Duffy was at the peak of his career with his
starring role in Dallas as Bobby Ewing. Then, everything changed in an instant:
his parents were killed. Duffy's parents, Terence and Marie, owned a bar in Montana
and they were at work when two 19-year-old gunmen walked in and shot them to death.
The actor described his late parents as, quote, "pretty ordinary, pleasant people"
in an interview with Closer Weekly, adding that they were always "social." So it understandably
came as a horrible shock when they were brutally killed by a pair of teenagers,
Kenneth Miller and Sean Wentz. The actor recalled in the Closer Weekly interview:
"My father kicked these two young men out of the bar at some point in the evening.
So they went and drank elsewhere [...] and came back to the bar. [...] When
they stepped in the bar with their guns, they shot him."
Patrick Duffy and Carlyn Rosser may have had one of Hollywood's longest-lasting marriages,
but their love story had an unconventional meet-cute.
After college, Duffy had begun traveling around the country with a company of entertainers,
as he told Closer Weekly. The actor shared with the outlet how he first saw Rosser:
"I was an immature college graduate touring as [a] narrator with this dance production, and
she was a beautiful ballerina 10 years older. We met on the tour bus and that was it — for life."
There was just one problem: the dancer was already married. They ran away together
anyway, after Rosser had converted Duffy to Buddhism. Duffy later joked to Deseret News:
"In one letter I said, 'Dear Mom and Dad: I'm moving to New York with a married woman 10
years older than I am and oh, by the way, I'm a Buddhist.' As a parent now if I can
imagine what my reaction would be if my son wrote a similar letter. I'd just fall down."
The pair were married in 1974 and stayed together until Rosser's death over four decades later.
As he told The Times of London, Patrick Duffy managed to cope with his parents'
deaths because of Buddhism, which his wife, Carlyn Rosser,
helped him discover. Recalling how they initially met on a tour bus, he admitted,
"I only converted because I wanted to sleep with
her. And now I do it because it's such a part of my life."
The star went on to insist that he was, quote, "invulnerable to suffering,"
although he revealed that he understandably still felt pain over his parents' untimely deaths.
"He's a very strong fellow and his family's very strong. They'll get through this, I know."
Duffy told The Times of London:
"When my parents were murdered, I went through all the emotions of the horrific
event of shock and anger and everything, but I never felt disconnected from them."
The actor went on to add that he had a better understanding of life and death
due to his faith. In his interview with The Times of London, Duffy said:
"I never felt that immediate loss. I did not know why then,
but in retrospect it was a result of being Buddhist for 15 years."
Duffy later explained in an interview with The Guardian that he believed he was, quote,
"completely responsible for his grief." Duffy told the outlet:
"If I'm suffering because of it, it's my karma that I have
manifested in this lifetime in this particular set of circumstances."
Patrick Duffy rose to stardom on the soap Dallas in the late '70s, which told the story of the
Ewing family and their fight for control over a massive oil empire. When he tried to forge a
career outside of his famous character, however, things didn't go to plan. Recalling how Bobby
Ewing was killed off so that he could explore other projects, Duffy told HuffPost in 2014:
"I thought if it was ever a time at the height of the popularity of that show,
that I might be able to launch into something that was more of a single, starring venue,
that that would be the time to do it. I left the show and that
did not happen — typical Patrick Duffy business decision fiasco."
When he didn't find his ideal star vehicle, Duffy came back to the soap that kicked off his career,
which meant that the writers had to improvise. They came up with the idea
that the whole previous season — including his death scene — had just been a dream.
"Honey, what's the matter? You look like you just saw a ghost."
"Maybe I thought I did."
In April 2021, Duffy — who also returned for the show's 2012 revival — told TV
Insider that he would consider going back to the character again:
"I put Bobby Ewing behind me twice already and it didn't work out. So,
I'm never one to say, 'never again.' If it were that brilliant next step
in the sequence of the story of those characters, I would be willing to do it."
Dallas was a big part of Patrick Duffy's life, so when his on-screen mother,
Barbara Bel Geddes, died of lung cancer in 2005, he paid tribute to the legendary
actor. Reflecting on how intimidating he found Bel Geddes at first, Duffy told Entertainment Weekly:
"When Barbara joined the cast of 'Dallas,' as Miss Ellie, I considered her to be like Helen Hayes,
Katherine Cornell, and Ethel Barrymore — a real 'name' in American theater. But you'd
never have known it. [...] It was remarkable, her ordinariness despite that pedigree."
Duffy also revealed that the cast and crew of Dallas affectionately called her "BBG"
on set. When the show was brought back for a revival in 2012, Duffy admitted
that it was different without Bel Geddes. In an interview with TV Week, Duffy had this to say:
"Barbara is a big piece of our history, and it's important to me to honor her. To come
back with Linda Gray as Sue Ellen and Larry Hagman in his J.R. hat, and then see the words
Ellie Southworth Ewing Farlow on the gravestone made me think, 'Oh, that's right — she's gone.'"
While Carlyn Rosser was a source of peace for Patrick Duffy throughout
difficult times in his life, she was also the center of additional grief. Rosser tragically
died from cancer in 2017 at age 77, after 43 years of marriage. Duffy told Closer Weekly:
"It was a surprise when she passed. There was no indication. You reach a certain age
and you realize the road ahead is much shorter than the road behind."
He shared the devastating news with his Twitter followers,
writing that his late wife would be with him, quote, "eternally" despite her death. Duffy wrote:
"On this day 6 months ago my heart stopped, yet I live on as she wishes."
The former Step by Step star also thanked all his fans for their, quote, "love and
concern," assuring everyone that he would be fine. Duffy later explained to Closer Weekly:
"There are no mistakes in life. I can mend every fence I've broken and create value out
of everything I've done if I'm given enough time. I have done and I still am doing OK."
Patrick Duffy's fans were heartbroken when he revealed in 2019 that he still
considered Carlyn Rosser to be his wife. The actor shared with Closer Weekly:
"I can hear her. I can see her. I know what she would expect of me,
and I try and live up to that."
Duffy also admitted that he still felt the absence of Rosser sometimes,
however. Duffy told the outlet,
"I feel close to her all the time
[but] what I miss most is her touch. I still consider myself a married man."
The actor also spoke about how important his two sons were during his mourning period.
"I have two of the most honorable, wonderful boys as, as children."
According to Closer Weekly, Duffy's older son, Padraic, has worked in theater as a
writer and managing director, whereas the younger Conor followed in his famous
dad's footsteps by appearing in shows like Arrested Development as an actor. Duffy noted:
"My boys were there as stalwarts. But I also realized that, as much as they were trying to
buttress old Dad up, I'm probably more adjusted to this set of circumstances than they are."
Patrick Duffy never imagined that he would find love again, but in late 2020,
People reported that he was dating Happy Days actor Linda Purl. Duffy revealed that their,
quote, "incredibly happy relationship" came as a shock to him, admitting,
"I never thought for a minute this would happen again."
As the Doomsday Mom co-stars told Closer Weekly in June 2021, they got closer throughout the
COVID-19 national lockdown, speaking on Zoom every night. Duffy told the outlet:
"So we explored all our history, our past, our loves. We listened to music
together and covered all that ground you normally cover over months of dating.
It was a time to really get to know one another with no outside influences to encumber you."
Linda compared the early days of their relationship to a, quote, "very Victorian
process," adding that life was "full of surprises." The actress told Closer Weekly:
"Patrick and I weren't looking for this.
We didn't expect it or see it coming when our paths crossed. Don't ever give up."
And Duffy was equally effusive, telling the outlet that he looked forward to every moment together:
"I am stunned every time that I realize this amazing woman loves me. It's just like, wow!"
Although Patrick Duffy has experienced tragedy and loss in his life,
he doesn't have any regrets. Overall, as he previously told Closer Weekly,
"I have worked hard to make the best of life, and it's been good to me."
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