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Patrick Dempsey first marriage to Rocky Parker is one of lesser known details in the actor’s life. When you think about Dempsey chances are you think about his time playing Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd in Grey’s Anatomy or even his touching romance with his wife of over 20 years Jillian Fink. But there’s a lot more to the A-lister than people realize.
In the early years of his fame, Dempsey was married a woman named Rochelle “Rocky” Parker, who was 26 years his senior and started dating him when he was around 18. They were married for less than a decade before their explosive divorce. The couple split in 1994 and Dempsey went on to marry Fink in 1999. The happily married couple went on to welcome three children and this remains Dempsey’s most well-known marriage but, still, questions remain about his first.
Who was Patrick Dempsey’s first wife, Rocky Parker?
Rocky Parker was an acting coach and manager who was married to Dempsey from 1987 until 1994. When she met Dempsey she was 48 and a widowed mother-of-three. She died of throat cancer in 2014.
From the details about their divorce to how they really met, here’s everything we know about Dempsey’s first, controversial marriage.
How They Really Met
There have been a lot of conflicting reports about Dempsey and Parker’s relationship before working together. Some claimed they met because she was his mom’s best friend, or his best friend’s mom, but the truth is simple. They met while working on a play together in 1984 called Brighton Beach Memoirs, where they played aunt and nephew. He later became best friends with her son after their romantic relationship started.
They Had a Seriously Big Age Gap
Dempsey and Parker had a 26-year age gap. When they met, he was 18 and she was 44. When they married, he was 21 and she was 48.
They Got Married After a Few Years Together
Speaking of their marriage, they married on Aug 24, 1987, after three years together, per Distractify.
But They Kept Their Marriage a Secret for Awhile
However, per Spock and Christine, they kept their marriage a secret from the public eye for two years out of fear of controversies like their age gap, that she was his manager, and that her children were older than him.
They Worked On Their Craft Together
Along with working together, and Parker working as Dempsey’s talent manager, they reportedly went to classes at the NYU film school together.
They Kept Their Marriage Details Insanely Private
Truly, Parker and Dempsey’s marriage was quite private, and not much is known about the intricacies of their relationship. However, they did go to numerous red-carpet events together, in more casual wear.
They Divorced After 7 Years Together
Things took a dark turn in 1994, specifically on April 26, 1994, when Parker filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
Cheating May Have Been the Cause of Their Breakup
While nothing has been confirmed about this, it’s alleged that both cheated, and Parker later alleged Dempsey physically abused her.
And Parker Claimed Dempsey Allegedly Abused Her
Speaking of those abuse allegations, they grew a bit fuzzy as time went on. Here’s what we mean: Parker accused him of assaulting her on the set of the 1987 film Can’t Buy Me Love. In legal documents from 1994 obtained by The Sun, she reportedly claimed, “While we were on the set of his (1987) movie Can’t Buy Me Love, he beat me up because he claimed he ‘wanted to see what it was like to beat up a woman!’ I now suffer from arthritis in my hand from where Respondent injured me,” according to The Sun.
But She Later Retracted These Claims
However, in 2006, Parker retracted the allegations, saying she “had been advised to make those accusations.”
Dempsey Didn’t Have Nice Things to Say About the Relationship & Said He Had to Heal From It
Dempsey has talked about the extreme age difference. In one instance, he said that his marriage was a “Freudian nightmare that is public knowledge.” And he later told Barbara Walters in 2006 that he was still healing from that relationship. “I think I needed a mother. There were a lot of negative things that I’m still undoing from it,” he said, per Mamamia. “She had a son one year older than me.”
Dempsey Did Address the Age Gap
He spoke about the relationship again sometime later, saying he liked the age difference because he wanted someone with experience to help him navigate life.
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