A couple of week’s ago, I decided to watch The French Connection. I know I am like 30 years behind the rest of the population, but it was on Encore one Friday night and I’ve always loved Gene Hackman. Now you are probably wondering, “What does this have to do with Olivia Newton John?” I am getting there, I am getting there!
So, I was watching the movie and this character named Howard in the movie caught my attention. I wondered what else this actor had been in, so I looked him up on my beloved Internet Movie Database and found out that the actor portraying this quirky character was none other than Patrick McDermott.
The name Patrick McDermott may not ring a bell to you, but it did with me. Patrick disappeared from a fishing trip off the coast of Los Angeles on July 1, 2005. This story might not have made the news except for one thing – he was the long time boyfriend of Olivia Newton John.
When I opened this week’s People Magazine, there was a story about Olivia and McDermott. Even after 15 months, authorities still have no idea what happened to him. It was confirmed he got on the boat, but no one knows if he ever got off. His ex-wife reported him missing on July 11th when he didn’t pick up his son for a scheduled visit. A search of the boat showed his belongings were still there. The Coast Guard never found a body, but the general assumption was McDermott had fallen overboard. That was until a little more was known about his life. McDermott was suffering from financial woes and owed his ex-wife child support. Some felt McDermott simply disappeared, to start a new life somewhere else and avoid financial ruin and possible jail time. There were reports that people in Cabo San Lucas had seen him, but those were never confirmed. To this day, what happened to Patrick McDermott remains a true unsolved mystery.
Olivia, understandably, was upset by his disappearance. She said she had to rely on antidepressants the first six months after his disappearance just to cope. She said losing Patrick to unknown circumstances like this was harder on her than her divorce or battle with cancer. But once she stopped taking the drugs and began accepting his disappearance, she decided to return to her one true love – music. She just released an album called Grace and Gratitude, which she said has helped her get through her sorrow. You can hear samplings of Olivia’s new album at People.com.