Patrick Duffy, 73, of “Dallas,” and Linda Purl, 67, of “Happy Days,” both had great careers in Hollywood but never crossed paths for decades despite working in the same industry.
Duffy enjoyed a long and happy marriage with his wife, Carolyn Rosser, whereas Purl had been married to four other men before meeting Duffy.
Purl’s first spouse was Desi Arnaz Jr., whom she married from 1980 to 1981, and her second husband was William Broyles Jr., whom she married from 1988 to 1992. In 1993, she married her third husband, Alexander Cary, and they divorced in 1999.
From 2006 until 2011, she was married to her fourth and final spouse, James Vinson Adams. Purl had just one kid with Cary, and although she had been married four times, she never contemplated dating again.
Duffy’s life was flipped upside down in 2017 when his wife of 43 years, Rosser, died. She was 77 years old. The couple had two boys, and even after she died, Duffy considered himself a “married man.”
Duffy was not ready to move on from his wife’s loss for a long time. He was emotional when he claimed he missed Rosser’s touch the most and felt closer to her at that time.
Duffy, though, found love again in 2019 at the age of 71. Purl entered his life and eventually altered it. Surprisingly, Duffy captured Purl’s heart using the video-calling tool Zoom. When they first met a few years ago, they felt like teens.
Despite working in the same sector, Duffy and Purl had never met. However, their unexpected romance began in the fall of 2019. They met at a Los Angeles event, where a mutual acquaintance introduced them.
The three began texting each other, but the friend soon dropped out, leaving Duffy and Purl to continue texting each other, and it provided a chance for them to bond.
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Their newfound friendship soon led to frequent FaceTime chats every Wednesday, where they would check in on each other despite the distance—Duffy was filming in Canada, while Purl was in a play in New York.
They would talk about their filming locations and how their residences appeared. Duffy showed Purl his Oregon ranch at the time, and Purl showed him her apartment.
Their FaceTime sessions lasted three weeks, with Duffy anxiously anticipating Wednesdays. Even when the COVID-19 epidemic struck, they maintained long-distance communication.
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Duffy and Purl met on FaceTime and later talked on Zoom calls for several months while isolating themselves in their various homes—Duffy on his ranch and Purl in Colorado.
Their chats grew deeper, and they discovered more parallels than simply their employment in the entertainment world. They sought refuge in family and children, and Purl promised Duffy would read her his poems.
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After Rosser’s death, Duffy never thought to find love again, but after meeting Purl, their relationship rapidly evolved into something more.
Purl recalled that they had planned to meet when the plague and seclusion had passed. But, for the bereaved actor, the waiting game seemed much too lengthy.
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Despite the pandemic’s hardships and his sadness for his late wife, Duffy was eager to be with Purl, so he traveled for 23 hours nonstop just to be with her. Purl remembered:
“Patrick bravely climbed into his car and traveled from Oregon to Colorado. “As adolescents, we were both terrified, but we’ve been together ever since.”
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Purl described their wooing as a “Victorian process,” implying that it was lengthy. Before their odd first date and first kiss, they spent weeks conversing and getting to know each other.
Duffy stated that they would talk on Zoom for hours seven days a week. “We listened to music together and covered all the ground you would cover throughout months of dating,” he explained.
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Duffy commented on how his and Purl’s relationship seemed to have slipped into place flawlessly over the course of three years, despite his original intention of never dating again following his wife’s death.
Duffy never worked out a “plan of action” for finding love again after being married for a long period. He said that the cosmos “stepped in” to help him and finally led him to Purl.
Duffy and Purl began working together and even appeared in a play after being imprisoned in Colorado and formally establishing a relationship. Purl’s walking to and from the stage while holding hands with her beau was unusual.
She recalls Duffy patting her on the back and saying “nice work” at the end of a scene. Purl would often shake hands with Duffy and then put her hand on his knee without realizing it.
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Duffy saw his life as “wonderful,” while Purl stated that many of his objectives had been realized. She further stated that they are satisfied with either working or not working at all, and Duffy added:
“I’m as pleased now as I was the first year I was married.”
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Duffy noted that their sector has seen both “good and terrible” advancements, and he and Purl were lucky to have seen them all. When requested, they are always eager to take on new initiatives.
He stated that they consider themselves fortunate to be employed and are grateful for any opportunities that come their way. They approach each day with thankfulness for what they have.
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Aside from performing, the pair likes working out and making meals together. They also created sourdough starter packages called Duffy’s Dough, which were inspired by Duffy’s mother, who used to bake when he was a kid.
In the early days of his relationship with Purl, Duffy also prepared sourdough pancakes, and the idea to turn it into a company was formed. He never considered turning it into a company, but Purl took it and operated it right away.
Purl was also recognized as a master chef by Duffy. He said that observing her make meals taught him new abilities every day. He further stated that their lifestyles are “extremely complimentary” in many ways, including:
“How we cook, clean, and collaborate as individuals in the kitchen.”
Aside from cooking and baking sourdoughs, the couple likes to provide entertaining material on social media. Purl stated that they recorded “small movies” of Elmer, their “adopted” seagull that frequently visits their balcony in search of a bite.
Duffy and Purl are madly in love these days. The lovely pair has finally established a genuine connection with one another, and as a consequence, they have launched a new life together full of love and happiness.
They’ve both moved on from previous relationships and found a new beginning with one another, and neither has any regrets. They have shown that love can bloom at any age and that everything is possible.