Jean Eliot was the first wife of Tom Bosley, a famous actor best known for his role as Howard Cunningham on the sitcom “Happy Days”. The couple met on Broadway, where Bosley starred in the musical “Fiorello!” and Eliot was a chorus girl. They married in 1962 and had a daughter, Amy, in 1966.
The Battle with Brain Cancer
Unfortunately, their happy marriage was cut short by a devastating diagnosis. Eliot was diagnosed with brain cancer, and for the last eight years of their 16-year marriage, Bosley stood by her side, and raised their daughter alone, as the disease gradually robbed him of the lovely, lively girl he had married. Eliot died at age 45 in 1978, leaving Bosley heartbroken and lonely.
The New Love and the New Life
Bosley dealt with Eliot’s death by working, throwing himself into his projects, and focusing on Amy. He also started dating again, and met Patricia Carr, a divorced actress and producer, who had two daughters from her previous marriage. Bosley and Carr fell in love, and married in 1980, two years after Eliot’s death. Carr even appeared on an episode of “Happy Days” as Bosley’s bowling buddy. The couple stayed married for 30 years, until Bosley’s death in 2010 from heart failure and lung cancer.
Jean Eliot was the first and true love of Tom Bosley, who never forgot her and always honored her memory. He once said: “When we learned Jean wouldn’t be with us for long (…) I decided that the best thing for Amy was to tell her the total truth, which I did.” He also said: “After we lost her, I had to go through that extremely awkward period of being both a father and a mother.”
