Patrick Duffy recalls the night his parents were killed

Patrick Duffy’s mother was working on a crossword at the bar she and her husband owned in Montana when two armed men came back inside. One shot Duffy’s father. His mother ran toward her husband and was killed as well.

The “Dallas” actor, now 77, described the 1986 murders during an appearance on the “Still Here Hollywood” podcast. His parents, Marie and Terence, were killed on Nov. 18, nearly 40 years ago.

Duffy said the two men, both 19, had been thrown out of the bar earlier by his father after becoming drunk and disruptive. They left, but later returned with shotguns. His parents were the only people inside.

According to Duffy, his father stepped toward the men and began to say, “I told you to…” before they shot him. His mother was at the other end of the bar doing a crossword. She took a few steps toward her husband, Duffy recalled, and the men shot her, too.

The attackers then jumped over the bar, took money from the register and grabbed a couple of bottles of alcohol before leaving.

Duffy learned what had happened the next morning. His sister, who was a police officer, called him in distress and was on her way to Montana. By the time the call ended, film crews had gathered outside his home.

Lorimar Television, the company behind “Dallas,” arranged a private flight and other help for Duffy. He said the support made it possible for him to travel to Montana and manage the attention surrounding the tragedy.

His Buddhist faith also helped him cope, he said, and gave him a way to explain the loss to his young sons, Padraic and Conor. As they were getting ready for school, he told them they would chant for their grandparents, whom he believed would be able to understand and hear them.

The two men were convicted and sentenced to prison. One was released on parole in 2007, and the other was granted parole in 2015.

Duffy has said that, despite the shock and anger he felt, he never experienced an immediate sense of being cut off from his parents. Looking back, he believes his Buddhist understanding of life helped him feel that connection remained.