Beloved actress Suzanne Somers passed away Sunday (Oct. 15) at the age of 76 after a years-long battle with cancer. Her former Step By Step co-star, Patrick Duffy, took to social media Monday to remember his friend.
From 1991 to 1997, Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers starred as husband and wife, Frank Lambert and Carol Foster-Lambert, in the ABC sitcom Step By Step. The storyline revolved around the Lambert’s blended family in the Brady Bunch-esque series and aired every Friday night for seven seasons as part of the network’s TGIF lineup.
RELATED: ACTRESS SUZANNE SOMERS HAS DIED AT 76
Duffy, who is best known for his role as Bobby Ewing in Dallas, first met Somers on the set of Step By Step and the pair formed a deep friendship that lasted until Suzanne’s death. In his statement about Somer’s passing, Duffy said he was shocked by the news of her death and shared that he will miss her.
“As with everyone who knew her, I was stunned yesterday by the news that my dear and deep friend Suzanne had passed. For that brief moment it was unbelievable. But indeed she has passed,” the 74-year-old actor wrote.
“Of course I will miss the phone calls, the emails, the visits, and the meals and laughter…I am not alone in wishing I had one more face-to-face with her and Alan, but had we had that meeting last Friday I would still be yearning for just one more today. It is the painful beauty of our present human reality.”
He concluded the statement with a note to Suzanne, saying, “When the stone of your life dropped in this pond you made quite a ripple my friend. Thank you.”
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight in 2021, Patrick Duffy said that he and Suzanne Somers became “best friends.”
“She was a mentor in the very beginning. She’s sitcom gold,” Duffy said of teaming up with the actress for his first comedic role. “I was ready to do a comedy, but she was the one who, you know, I would do a bit or a part of a scene or something and I’d always glance over at her — she’d give me a (winks) or a mmm, whichever one. And then we found our footing and it was, again, the best job I ever had.”
He added that Somers was a caretaker and someone he could always call on.
“She’s a mother above all else. She’s a caretaker. She’s just one of the best people. She’s a go-to person. If I ever needed something, I know I could pick up the phone and say, ‘Suzanne, I really need help on this.’ It would be there.”
See a clip of Suzanne Somers and Patrick Duffy in Step By Step below.