Peter Falk has been married on two separate occasions during his life. His first marriage took place in 1960, when he wed Alyce Mayo, a classmate of his at Syracuse University.

Because the couple was unable to have their own biological children while they were married, they made the decision to become adoptive parents.

Before their marriage started to fall apart, Peter and Mayo became parents of 2 girls via the adoption. In 1976, the couple’s marriage was officially dissolved via the legal process of divorce.

One year following the finalization of his divorce from Mayo, he tied the knot with Shera Danese, an actress who had recurring roles on the television show “Columbo.”

Peter was 21 years older than Danese, and Danese often made jokes about the age difference between them. Catherine, one of Peter’s daughters spoke out about her father’s last years and said that her father was suffering from dementia but that he was still aware during those years.

According to the celebrity’s daughter, who claimed to have spoken to her father on the phone, the celebrity had to have hip replacement surgery at one time.

Catherine was aware that there was a chance that her father’s Alzheimer’s disease or dementia may become more severe as a result of the anesthetic.

After undergoing surgery, the actor “frequently vanished,” and Danese turned off his phone, making it impossible for Catherine and the other people involved to get in touch with him.

In 2021, Peter’s daughter said that her stepmother hated both her and her sister and couldn’t tolerate the sight of them. Additionally, the late actor’s daughter said that Danese barred her and her sister from entering the home that she lived with their father when they were younger.

She said that as Peter became older and his abilities diminished, his second wife became more reclusive and controlling.

The daughter of Peter recalls feeling terrified and thought to herself, “I may never see my dad again.” Catherine made the decision that she would not give up without a struggle, and she battled for the right to see her father and to take care of him.

The newspaper made a comment in 2008 on how Peter, who was becoming older at the time, seemed “sprightly” in the footage from YouTube showing him playing the character of Father Randolph in the comedy film “American Cowslip.”

On the other hand, the documents that Catherine had submitted to the Los Angeles Superior Court the previous week painted a quite different narrative.

Peter, who was then 81 years old, suffered from Alzheimer’s disease; according to his daughter, the condition had left him unable to care for himself. The two-time Oscar Award nominee’s offspring expressed interest in serving as his “conservator” or legal guardian.

Additionally, Catherine said that Danese was preventing her from visiting her father since the spring, which resulted in a court hearing being scheduled.

According to the paperwork filed with the court, she requested “full-time custodial care for him for the sake of his health and safety.”

The celebrity’s offspring made the claim that he was no longer able to defend himself against improper influence or deception.

Catherine further said that the actor was unable to identify what his physical requirements were or to convey this information to others in order for them to fulfill them for him.

In addition to this, she claimed that he was unable to handle his money and that his possessions may be stolen via fraudulent means.

His children have said that they were unable to visit or communicate with him, and they were not given any information on his state of health.

The legal struggle that Catherine fought was ultimately fruitless, and Danese continued to withhold information from her even after Peter had passed away. When Catherine gave an interview, she was still grieving the loss of her father.

The celebrity’s daughter said how heartbroken she was after learning that she would not be allowed to attend her father’s burial.

The daughter of Peter said that the tragic news was broken to her by the media and her lawyers and that she had no prior knowledge of it.

She established the Catherine Falk Organization with the intention of campaigning for the rights of adult children to see their ailing parents.