Although you may have seen Patrick Duffy in Man From Atlantis, Too Good To Be True, or even Christmas With A View, he is most recognized for his role as Bobby Ewing in the CBS primetime soap opera Dallas.

Under that immaculate exterior, however, is a man who has been mourning the loss of his wife, Carlyn Rosser, ever since she passed away in 2017. He still considers himself to be “married,” even though she could not be present.

Their romance began when the now 73-year-old actor was a recent college graduate. He said, “I was an immature college graduate touring as a narrator with this ballet show, and she was a beautiful dancer 10 years older. Once we boarded the tour bus together, it was officially done.”

He knew his future wife was “the one” as soon as he lay eyes on her. The two then exchanged vows in 1974, preparing to travel the rest of their lives together. When their sons Padraic and Conor were born, their two-person family swiftly increased to four.

For 43 years, the couple’s shared love of art was a source of connection. “My wife had wonderful pitch, was a ballerina, could play concert piano, and was an artist. And I was drawn to that from a slightly constrained creative standpoint,” he told Town and Country Mag.

“That wasn’t the beginning of my education; I think what actually influenced my life beginning at the age of 22 when I met her was my PhD,” he continued. He admits that she made a big difference in his life and even introduced him to Buddhism, which gave him the ability to deal with the pain of his parents’ terrible deaths.

Because of his success on the television program Dallas, he was able to help them both widen their areas of interest. “Dallas provided me with a wonderful chance. We were able to concentrate on what we wanted to achieve most because this is the house that Dallas built and the gallery is filled with the artwork that Dallas bought,” he stated. He had such love and a close tie with his wife that when she passed away in 2017, he and their family were devastated.

After almost five years, “I can still hear her. I can see her,” the actor said. ” I make an effort to fulfill her expectations of me. I miss her touch the most, despite the fact that I feel her presence all the time. I continue to identify as a husband.”

He said that despite having to move on, he will cherish every memory of his lover. Life, he proclaimed, has no mistakes. “I can repair every fence I’ve tripped over and improve everything I’ve done with enough time. I completed it, and my situation is stable. Despite my efforts to make the most of life, it has been kind to me.”