Patrick Duffy Shares Heartfelt Confession About His Love Life With Partner Linda Purl

Sep 25, 2023

Patrick Duffy is an actor best known for his work on television. He found widespread fame and success portraying the role of Bobby Ewing on the primetime soap opera “Dallas.” It’s a role that Duffy has held near and dear to his heart as he portrayed the character from 1978 to 1985 and then from 1986 to 1991. He even reprised the role later on in a continuation of the series from 2012 to 2014.

Pursuing acting is something that Duffy had dreamed about as a child. He was born on March 17, 1949, in Townsend, Montana. During high school, he participated in the drama club and went on to obtain a degree in drama from the University of Washington. Duffy was later hired as an actor-in-residence.

Shortly after, Duffy landed his starring role on “Dallas.” He found more fame on the sitcom “Step by Step,” which also starred Suzanne Somers. Duffy portrayed the character of Frank Lambert from 1991 to 1998, successfully staying busy all the way from the late 1970s to the late 1990s. The actor later went on to be cast as Stephen Logan on the daytime soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful,” which he was on from 2006 to 2011.

Duffy’s life has been riddled with hardships and struggles. From grieving the loss of his parents at an early age to seeing the passing of his wife, the actor has remained strong and endured all of it. Thankfully, his partner, Linda Purl, has been with him through it all. 

It is safe to say that despite what happened in his life, Duffy has found the light at the end of the tunnel – his fairytale ending with Purl. Read on to learn more about what happened to Duffy and his heartfelt confession about love.

Over the years, Duffy has been hit with various tragedies over the years. Both of his parents were killed on Nov. 18, 1986, during an armed robbery. It was reported in 1986 by The Los Angeles Times that Terence and Marie Duffy were shot by two 19-year-old boys from Helena, Montana. 

In 2019, Duffy recalled the horrible time to Closer Weekly. 

“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 to kick his a**. They stepped into the bar with their guns, they shot him. There was nobody else in the bar, so they shot both my mother and my father,” he elaborated. 

Since their death, Duffy experienced a range of emotions because of the tragic event – “shock and anger and everything.” However, he noted that he “never felt disconnected from (my parents). I never felt that immediate loss.” He credited this to being a Buddhist. 

Duffy was faced with another horrible tragedy again on Jan. 23, 2017, when his wife, Carlyn Rosser, died of cancer. She was a professional ballerina, and they were together for 43 years and had two children together.

Losing Rosser was something Duffy struggled to overcome. Speaking with Closer Weekly in 2019, he talked about how much he missed certain aspects of his life alongside her. “I still consider myself a married man,” he said. The actor also explained how he didn’t expect Rosser’s death, and it came as a surprise to him.

Thankfully, Duffy had many friends and family members to help support him during such a tough time. The following year, he found a new reason to be happy and showed that he had left his heart open for love.

According to People Magzine, in 2020, Duffy was in a new relationship with Purl of “Happy Days.”

PurlPurl, best known for her work as an actress and singer, played Fonzie’s girlfriend Ashley on “Happy Days” and portrayed Pam Beesly’s mother, Helene, in “The Office.” 

Purl has also dealt with heartbreak over the years, as she has been married and divorced four times. One of her marriages was to Desi Arnaz Jr., son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Purl also has one son.

Speaking to the publication, Duffy talked about how excited he was about his new relationship. 

“I’m in an incredibly happy relationship,” he said. “I never thought for a minute this would happen again. I never thought I’d feel this way again.”

Duffy explained that he had gotten used to being a widower but enjoyed his life as a father and a grandfather to his four grandchildren. However, when he was quarantined during the pandemic, he unexpectedly found love again. The publication reported that Duffy and Purl had been casual friends in the past but lost touch with each other. They had later been put in the same group chat with other friends, and eventually started talking one-on-one, and have been inseparable ever since.

“I feel quite honestly, that it is keeping with the desires of my wife, the fact that we are intended to be happy,” Duffy said. “So when it’s offered, think about it, do whatever you do, but don’t let it pass you up if it’s the right thing.”

In an exclusive interview with Fox News, Purl recalled the turning point of their relationship and what the actor did – "And Patrick heroically got in his car and drove from Oregon to Colorado. We were both nervous as teenagers, but we've been together since."

Since then, the pair couldn’t be happier in each other’s company, according to Purl’s social media posts. They have spent many special occasions with each other and each other’s families and are regularly pictured partaking in their favorite pastimes together, such as baking, taking trips to the theater, and trying out new eateries and bars. 

Baking is definitely one of the couple’s favorite pastimes together. They shared with People Magazine their Sourdough starter kits in 2022. Purl also likened the process of baking bread, sourdough specifically, to the timeline of their relationship. 

"There's a possibility of really good things happening and real communication happening. It starts with the tiny little spore of yeast, but it can expand into an experience on many levels," she told the publication. 

Duffy and Purl’s relationship is a recipe for a good movie! From meeting when they were younger, falling out, being married to different partners, and finding one another again – it seemed like their love story was drawn from an author’s unpublished novel. 

Speaking to The Daily Mail in 2022, Duffy joked that their relationship could actually be turned into a movie, and they would be happy to play themselves. 

"Yes. It is that it feels that way to us, like a Hallmark movie. We are extremely grateful for this relationship,” he confessed. “And to have it found this at this point in our lives, and to be able to look at the rest of your life comforted by this reality is amazing.” 

As for Purl, who was 65 when he met the 71-year-old Duffy, their love story is an affirmation that it is never too late to find love. 

“Change is constant in life, we know that. Energies change, life changes so never give up on anything if that's your heart's desire,” she explained.

Are you a fan of Patrick Duffy? What can you say about the experiences he had to endure all of his life? Isn’t his relationship and love story with Linda Purl adorable? Let us know, and pass this on to your family and friends!