In the late 1970s and 80s, Hollywood star Catherine Bach made a name for herself in the beloved series "The Dukes of Hazzard," where she played the role of Daisy Duke.
Catherine Bach as her character Daisy Duke circa 1985. | Source: Getty Images
Besides her acting, the star also garnered attention as a sex symbol for the iconic hotpants known to fans as the "Daisy Dukes." However, in August 2022, 40 years after the show came to an end, Catherine turned 68 and looked quite different from that young woman all those years back.
Catherine Bach at the Cable Ace Awards in Los Angeles, California in 1994. | Source: Getty Images
Three years ago, she was spotted out and about doing some shopping in Los Angeles. This time, the actress
swapped out the tiny shorts
she was once famous for, for a pair of sensible workout pants.
Bach enjoyed a day out in the sun as paparazzi snapped photos of her in an all-black workout ensemble, including matching sneakers. She visited the high-end grocery store Erewhon, sporting brown sunglasses and the same looking tousled hairstyle she is known for.
Catherine Bach as her character Daisy Duke on the set of the TV movie "The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood" in Los Angeles, California on October 19, 1999. | Source: Getty Images
Her phone hung around her shoulder to her side in a cross-body case that looked like a handbag. She also carried a clear bottle and had what appeared to be another pair of sunglasses hung around the top of her neck.
Bach paid the paparazzi no mind as she went about her errands, and at one point, she was seen pointing in front of her as she spoke to someone.
Catherine Bach spotted out in Los Angeles, California on March 25, 2022. | Source: Getty Images
Years before her 2022 outing in Los Angeles, Bach sadly lost her longtime husband. On April 30, 2010, entertainment lawyer Peter Lopez, to whom she was married for 20 years, died by suicide, prompting a drastic change in his wife's life.
Catherine Bach and Peter Lopez at The Weinstein Company's Golden Globes After Party in Beverly Hills, California on January 15, 2007. | Source: Getty Images
Speaking to The Huffington Post in 2013, the actress confessed that the loss left her with more questions than answers. Bach disclosed that Lopez hadn't been an alcoholic or a substance abuser, and confirmed that their financial matters were fine when her husband died.
This made it difficult for her and her children to understand what had caused the suicide. Bach and her eldest daughter read books to try and make sense of the loss but ended up concluding that Lopez's trauma from his upbringing might've had something to do with his death.
Peter Lopez and Catherine Bach during Warner Bros. Television and Warner Home Video's 50 Year Celebration of Quality TV in Burbank, California on January 20, 2005. | Source: Getty Images
After losing her husband, the actress had to be strong for their daughters, Laura Esmerelda and Sophia Isabella, because she realized they are her and Lopez's legacy. Bach spent the first year trying to get through it.
Her late husband's law firm was still open because clients wanted assistance, and Bach handled that. In 2013, the actress shared that she was considering writing a book to teach people how to protect themselves in sudden-death situations,
adding
, "I like to think that Peter and I were the most prepared people ever because we took our responsibilities as parents so seriously."
Catherine Bach and Peter Lopez at the 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles, California on January 16, 2005. | Source: Getty Images
The widow and her late husband ensured their family would be okay if something happened. However, in 2019, Bach told Fox News that she was utterly overwhelmed when Lopez died because she hadn't seen it coming.
Catherine Bach and Peter Lopez at an event where Warren Cowan was named Mentor of the Year by Volunteers of America on March 21, 2002. | Source: Getty Images
She also wasn't sure how she'd get through it alone. Luckily, the star wasn't ashamed of talking about her loss and threw her energy into caring for her two girls to stop herself from falling apart.
Catherine Bach spotted out in Los Angeles, California on November 23, 2021. | Source: Getty Images
Bach also participated in group therapy, which helped her continue to stay strong for her daughters. Speaking to Fox News in 2019, the actress noted that one person from the group shared how their mother started drinking in bed for five years while mourning.
Another person revealed they used substances to get over the loss. Concerning the coping mechanism she made use of, Bach
divulged
, "I prayed a lot. I went to church a lot. I'm Catholic. I stayed very close to my priest who I really trust… It's what kept me alive."
Catherine Bach at the NostalgiaCon in Anaheim, California on September 29, 2019. | Source: Getty Images
In 2017, Bach opened up to Closer Weekly about how she was almost not cast for the role of Daisy Duke. She revealed that as someone who is half German and half Mexican, her agency
told
her, "'You're way too exotic and just not television material' — and they fired me!"
John Schneider, Catherine Bach, and Tom Wopat in a promotional portrait for the "The Dukes of Hazzard" circa 1980. | Source: Getty Images
However, she was determined to prove the agency wrong. At the time, David Shaw, her first husband, worked with the show's writer, Bob Clark, who engaged closely with the series creator Gy Waldron.
Clark thought it would be fun if they met someone he'd based the series on. Bach told her friend that she wouldn't try for the role after they'd been looking for their Daisy for a year.
The series wanted someone who was meant to be blonde, like country star Dolly Parton, and not the actress. Luckily, the star's friend encouraged her to try for it anyway. Lo and behold, two weeks later, Bach had the role!
Lopez's widow revealed that she helped design her character's costume and gushed that everyone still
thought
of her as "the All-American girl."
Catherine Bach visiting Hallmark's "Home & Family" in Universal City, California on March 22, 2019. | Source: Getty Images
Years after starring on the show, Bach hasn't let go of the denim shorts that made her a pop culture icon. While attending the wedding celebration of her co-star John Schneider and his wife Dee Dee Sorvino at the Hollywood Museum in Los Angeles on August 1, the
actress
, who is now 70 years old, reflected on her time as Daisy and the possibility of a show revival.
When asked about a potential "Dukes of Hazzard" reunion or reboot, Bach remained open but realistic. "Shows are a mystical thing at best," she
explained
, emphasizing the need for strong writing and execution.
Catherine Bach, John Schneider, and Dee Dee Sorvino spotted out in Los Angeles, California on August 1, 2024. | Source: Getty Images
She acknowledged that she and her former co-stars are still around, making a reunion feasible, though uncertain. The original series, which aired from 1979 to 1985, followed the adventures of the Duke family in Hazzard County.
Daisy, with her signature cutoff shorts, became one of the show's most memorable characters. Even today, fans might still catch Bach sporting the iconic look—just not in public. "Only if you come to my house and watch me garden," she
teased
, adding that the beach is another exception.
John Schneider, Catherine Bach, and Tom Wopat as their characters from "The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!" in Los Angeles, California on April 25, 1997. | Source: Getty Images
Interestingly, Bach initially didn't believe she had a shot at the role of Daisy. The casting search had gone on for a year, spanning major cities, before she was invited to audition.
To her surprise, her performance was met with a standing ovation from the casting team, leading her to land the role that would define her career. However, the role has since been relegated to the back of her priorities as she focused on her children.
Sophia Isabella Lopez and Catherine Bach at the George Lopez 14th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic Pre-Party in Toluca Lake, California on October 3, 2021. | Source: Getty Images
Back in 2016, Bach still looked incredible while out with her daughter Sophia, then 20. The mother and daughter dined together in West Hollywood at Craig's, a restaurant frequented by celebrities.
Bach was dressed in a plunging and figure-hugging black dress during that outing. It reached just below her knees and was cinched at the waist with a thin black leather belt and completed with matching heels and a black quilted Chanel handbag.
Catherine Bach and Laura Esmeralda Lopez at the Whole Child International's inaugural gala in Beverly Hills, California on October 26, 2017. | Source: Getty Images
The actress' eldest daughter matched her mother in skinny black pants and a semi-sheer feminine white lace top. She completed her stunning look with black open-toe strapped heels.
It appeared that
Catherine Bach
was also quite close to her other daughter, who was then 17. However, Laura was nowhere to be found during the West Hollywood outing.
Years later in 2023, Bach stunned her Instagram followers with a
beautiful selfie
, proving her enduring allure well after her heydays as Daisy. She captivated onlookers with her signature smile, voluminous hair, and striking eyes as she posed for a photo.
"Catherine you are more beautiful than ever before!!!💯😍🌹❤️,"
gushed
a fan, while another
declared
, "Hot back then and hot now.❤️❤️❤️." "My childhood crush ✌🏿,"
swooned
a fellow admirer.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is
1-800-273-8255
. Other international suicide helplines can be found at
befrienders.org
.
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A poor old lonely woman named Emma started receiving deliveries every day from an unknown source. She and her late husband never had children together, so she could not tell where these deliveries came from.
When my wife and I visited an orphanage to adopt, we never expected to meet a little girl who looked exactly like our daughter at home. The shock deepened when we discovered the unimaginable truth.
Minutes before I walked down the aisle to marry the man I thought I'd spend my life with, my world crumbled. A truth so devastating unraveled that I couldn't face him or our guests. So, I fled. Mascara streaking my face, I ran in my wedding dress down the
When Mila starts finding eerie Post-it notes in her apartment, written in unfamiliar handwriting, reminding her of things she never told anyone, she doesn't think much of it. As the messages grow more urgent, she sets up a camera, only to discover the foo