Patrick Dempsey, known for his iconic role as Dr. Derek Shepherd on Grey's Anatomy, has been open about the complexities of his personal life, including his first marriage to Rochelle 'Rocky' Parker.
The couple’s 1991 wedding was the start of a relationship that would later spark public controversy due to their significant age difference.
However, it took Dempsey 15 years to speak candidly about what drew him to Parker and the impact their relationship had on his life.
A Controversial Romance
Dempsey first met Parker in 1984 when they were cast in the play Brighton Beach Memoirs.
At the time, Dempsey was just 18 years old, while Parker was a 44-year-old mother of three.
Despite their age gap, the pair’s connection grew, and they began dating. In the early stages of their relationship, Parker also took on the role of Dempsey’s acting coach and eventually became his manager, per HELLO! Magazine.
Their romance was kept relatively quiet, likely due to concerns over how their age difference might affect Dempsey’s budding career in Hollywood.
However, by the time Dempsey’s career was taking off with roles in Sweet Home Alabama, Iron Jawed Angels, and Scream, the couple had already tied the knot.
The Relationship Hits Trouble
Despite the initial excitement surrounding their relationship, Dempsey’s marriage to Parker began to unravel in the mid-90s. In 1994, the couple’s divorce was filed, citing “irreconcilable differences”.
Parker also made allegations of assault against Dempsey that she later retracted, claiming that her legal team had urged her to make those claims.
In an interview with Barbara Walters, Dempsey later described his first marriage as a “Freudian nightmare that is public knowledge,” admitting that his relationship with Parker had a deep psychological impact on him, cited by 7News.
He confessed: "I think I needed a mother," referencing the maternal dynamic in their marriage.
He added: "There were a lot of negative things that I'm still undoing from it. She had a son one year older than me."
The Influence of Dempsey’s Family Life
Dempsey’s reflections on his marriage shed light on deeper emotional struggles stemming from his early family life.
His mother, Angela, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the late 90s, just as Dempsey’s relationship with Parker was gaining intensity. Angela's cancer battle lasted for 17 years before she passed away in 2014.
This difficult period undoubtedly influenced Dempsey’s emotional state and his relationship dynamics, including his connection with Parker.
Life After the Divorce
Three years after his divorce from Parker, Dempsey found love again with makeup artist Jillian Fink. The couple married in 1999 and went on to have three children together, marking a new chapter in Dempsey’s personal life.
Meanwhile, Parker, who had spent the final years of her life battling cancer, passed away in 2014 at the age of 74. She had been diagnosed with both lung and throat cancer, which ultimately led to her death.