Patrick Duffy Confirms He's Dating This Happy Days Star

Seasoned actor Patrick Duffy is perhaps best known for his starring role on Dallas and his tenure on the sitcom Step by Step. On Dallas, Duffy played Bobby Ewing, the son of an oil tycoon, who leads a complicated and tragic life despite his privileged upbringing. Sadly, Duffy's real personal life has also been touched by tragedy, from the death of his parents, to the loss of his beloved wife. At the height of his fame in 1974, Duffy married a ballerina named Carlyn Rosser. The two were seemingly incredibly happy and in love throughout their more than four decades of marriage. That all came to a tragic and untimely end in January 2017, when Rosser unexpectedly died of cancer. Heartbroken at the loss of his wife of 43 years, Duffy settled into the life of a famous widower. However, nearly three years after her death, he told Closer Weekly that he still considered himself a married man. To help get through tragic events in his life, Duffy has said he's found solace in the Buddhist faith, which his late wife introduced him to. Speaking to Page Six, he explained that a fundamental tenet of Buddhist philosophy is the eternity of life. That belief has helped him deal with the death of his parents, who were slain during an armed robbery of a tavern that they owned in Boulder, Montana in 1986. Explaining that he had been practicing Buddhism for about 15 years at the time, Duffy told People, quote, "As horrific as that was, I didn't feel disconnected from them." And Buddhism has helped him deal with the loss of his wife as well. According to People, Duffy has found joy in the years since his wife's passing by spending time with his two sons and his four grandchildren. And now there's yet another bright spot in his circle — someone whom sitcom fans might just be familiar with. According to reports, Duffy seems to have found love again. This time with another throwback sitcom star, Linda Purl. It's a classic story of turning lemons into lemonade. Duffy and Purl, who had known each other for years, reconnected in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic when they randomly found themselves in the same group chat. Apparently, Duffy and Purl were so enamored with each other that they barely noticed when the group chat that started out with lots of old friends eventually became a conversation between just the two of them. By then, Duffy was already head over heels for the Happy Days actress. Purl's Instagram feed is covered in pictures of her and Duffy cooking and hiking their way through quarantine. Duffy feels like the relationship was meant to be, and believes that his late wife would definitely approve. Where else have you seen Patrick Duffy's new quarantine-era love, Linda Purl? In Happy Days, she played Fonzie's girlfriend, Ashley, in Season 10. The actress also starred in the 1980s mystery series Matlock, as well as multiple other TV classics. Her and Duffy are a match made in nostalgic TV heaven! Purl has been married four times, most notably to Desi Arnaz Jr., the son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. She's been unmarried since 2011. Keep watching to see Patrick Duffy Confirms He's Dating This Happy Days Star! #PatrickDuffy #LindaPurl