After Losing Beloved Wife to Cancer, ‘Dallas’ Star Patrick Duffy Is Inseparable From New Love Linda Purl From ‘Happy Days’

Just a few weeks ago, Duffy took to Instagram to wish his fans a Happy Easter in an uplifting video as he enjoyed a beach day with Purl.

“Ah, I love it at the beach. It’s almost perfect. I just wish the Easter bunny would bring a fruit tart,” Duffy told his fans, as Purl is seen hopping along the sand behind him with her hands above her head as bunny ears.

She then hands him the tart he asked for, and he jokingly exclaimed, “There is an Easter bunny!”

 

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A post shared by Patrick Duffy (@therealpduffy)

And a few weeks prior to that post, Duffy posted another cute video on Instagram in honor of St. Patrick’s Day,  a religious and cultural holiday that is always held on March 17 — Duffy’s birthday.

Duffy, who captioned the sweet post, “Enjoying our Duffy’s Dough Irish Soda Bread,” was seen sitting outside next to Purl tasting the traditional Irish bread that he baked himself.

In the footage, Duffy is seen buttering some Irish soda bread before feeding it to Purl, saying, “Irish Soda Bread made with Duffy Dough … sourdough starter.”

As Purl takes a bite and reacts delighted, Duffy asks,”Is it good? Is it safe? Shall I try it?” As Purl says, “You Better,” Duffy proceeds to taste the bread, adding, “Oh my God! I’m a better baker than I thought.”

Duffy’s post was greeted with praise from fans, with one writing, “You guys are so cute together glad you have found each other.”

“Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and happy birthday, Patrick! You are a true Saint!” another fan commented.

 

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Now, as another holiday is almost upon us — Mother’s Day — Duffy is promoting his dehydrated sourdough starter kit on his Duffy’s Dough website.

In honor of Mother’s Day, Duffy is hoping to raise money for No Kid Hungry, “a national campaign run by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit working to solve problems of hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world.”

Patrick Duffy Finds Love After Loss

Patrick Duffy shared a long and happy life with his wife Rosser, who he married in 1974. She passed away in January 2017 after a battle with cancer at 77. The couple had two sons together and a wonderful love story.

The heartbroken actor previously opened up in an interview with Closer magazine, saying that he knew it was forever from the time they met. He said, “I was an immature college graduate touring as 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.”

After his wife’s passing, Duffy was candid about how the loss affected him, telling Closer, “I know what she would expect of me, and I try and live up to that. I feel close to her all the time, [but] what I miss most is her touch.”

“I still consider myself a married man,” Duffy said in 2019, showing us how grieving is an ongoing process, and that it’s good to be patient with yourself as you process your grief after losing a loved one to cancer. 

Despite the pain Duffy endured, he and Purl were brought together in 2020. The two were old friends, and their mutual pals started a group text allowing everyone to keep in touch during the pandemic.

The group chat led the now-loving duo to reconnect, and shortly after they were chatting just the two of them.

When Duffy felt that he and Purl had more than a friendly connection, he drove to visit the “Happy Days” star, where they quarantined together. “I loaded up my car and drove 20 hours and ended up on her doorstep just to see if it was real. We haven’t been apart since,” he recounted to People magazine.

Duffy admitted, “I never thought I’d feel this way again,” noting that he thinks his wife would be happy for him.

“I feel quite honestly, that it is keeping with the desires of my wife, the fact that we are intended to be happy. 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,” he explained.

Moving Through Grief

Grief is a difficult, truly personal process, as Patrick Duffy has shown. Some find solace in vulnerability and sharing how they feel with others.

After his wife’s death, Duffy tweeted: “On this day 6 months ago my heart stopped yet I live on as she wishes We will be together eternally.”

‘Therapy Saved My Life’: After Losing A Loved One, Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help

While working through grief and vulnerable tackling of the emotions that accompany it, some find tools like therapy to be helpful. Support groups can also be a benefit for those who are feeling isolated in their feelings of grief. Faith can also be a powerful coping mechanism for some; Duffy previously spoke about how his Buddhist faith helped him deal with his feelings of loss.

Whichever methods of support you look for after cancer loss, you should know that there is no correct way to grieve. There is no perfect timeline for grieving, either.

Surviving the Loss of a Partner

Fighting your own cancer battle is one of the toughest experiences in life; watching the disease take someone you love is a different kind of pain. In some cases, a spouse with cancer can take proactive steps to talk about what might come after.

‘I Don’t Want to Move On; I Do Want To Move Forward’: Doug Wendt On Being A Caregiver and Tragically Losing His Wife to Ovarian Cancer

“She wanted to make sure that I knew that it was OK … she really wanted me to have another relationship after she was gone,” one widower told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.

RELATED: The Toughest Conversations: Losing a Spouse to Cancer

John Duberstein lost his wife, writer Nina Riggs, to metastatic triple negative breast cancer. He says that while he was watching her suffer from the disease, he couldn’t help but wish things could go back to normal … but Riggs had already embraced her new normal.

“I really wanted things to go back to normal, whatever that meant,” Duberstein told SurvivorNet. “She was not for that. She wanted to embrace the existence that she had, even before she knew she was going to die imminently. I did not want to talk about what was going to happen with me after Nina died. Nina is the one that really brought it up, she brought it up a number of times.”

Dating After Cancer; Getting Intimate with the New You

Duberstein explained that even with the pain of losing his wife, and even though he didn’t want to talk about it at the time, he’s so glad they had those seemingly uncomfortable conversations. “In retrospect, I can’t even explain how glad I am that I had that.”

This is a reminder that having those uncomfortable and painful conversations with your partner can be fundamental to your well-being as you move forward in the grieving process, alleviating the guilt felt in starting to date again, and/or eventually marry.

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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