by Funky Duke Lewis; Tiger Beat, April 1972 He was a tall, dark and handsome actor on the verge of superstardom, and he had money, security, fame, physical health, professional respect, he loved and was loved by his family and devoted fiance, Dianne Ray, yet he killed himself with his own gun in his own home. Peter Duel had everything, didn't he? — or did he? No, he certainly didn't have emotional balance, peace of mind, and mental health. Pete told a recent interviewer: "I've suffered personal tragedy, unhappiness, depression and frustrations that beat me down into the mud of despair because I ... Read More

by Gary Denton; TV Radio Mirror, April 1972 Why his friends feared murder! The Mystery girl he'd been seeing! His terrified plea for help! His last letter! At approximately 1:25 a.m., December 31, the beginning of the final day of 1971, a bullet ripped through Peter Duel's brain ending the life of one of Hollywood's most popular young actors. "I'll see you later," he told his girlfriend, and reportedly with his own gun — a .38 caliber revolver — in hand walked into the living room. Moments later Dianne Ray, 29, heard a sickening blast. She dashed out of the bedroom to discover a most ... Read More

by Morris Townsend; Silver Screen, April 1972 It was like a bizarre tableau from a horror movie. There was a shot. Dianne Ray sprang out of bed and ran to the living room. Her terror-filled eyes found nothing upright — except the still-standing Christmas tree. Then she saw Pete crumpled at the foot of the tree where only a few days earlier they had shared the pleasant laughter of opening presents and exclaiming over them. Christmas was nice, they had agreed. In fact, that was why the tree was still there on December 31. Throwing the tree out would be like turning ... Read More

"I Was Shocked at What ABC-TV Did After Pete Duel's Death" by Iain Calder; National Enquirer, April 26, 1972 TV star Ben Murphy says he was shocked at how quickly ABC replaced Pete Duel as his co-star on Alias Smith & Jones after Duel's suicide. "Pete's body was hardly cold when they had an identical costume fitted out for Roger Davis," said the 30-year old Murphy. "I don't know how to explain how shocked I was at that kind of action." "I kept asking myself, 'How could they do it?' But they could and they did. It was just standard TV practice and ... Read More

Pete Duel's Family Knows Who Really Killed Him! The "Twin" Son They Fear Will be Next by Al Crowley; Movie Mirror, April 1972 It was a cold Wednesday afternoon, but the Penfield Baptist Church was filled to the brink. The first week of the New Year found hundreds of friends and family in Penfield, a suburb of Rochester, New York, to mourn the death of its hometown boy who made it big in Hollywood — but couldn't live it big, who really couldn't live at all. Pete Duel was his name. A 31-year-old actor who had struggled to break into the Hollywood star ... Read More

by Melissa Mames; TV Star Parade, April 1972 As most of us were preparing to usher in the New Year last December 31st with singing, dancing, and partying, a young man out in Hollywood — a talented, intelligent television star with everything going for him — apparently decided that 1972 wasn't worth living. And so, Peter Duel, the co-star of the popular video series Alias Smith & Jones, allegedly put a gun to his head and fatally shot himself early in the morning of New Year's Eve day. Shot himself just moments after he took a revolver from the bedroom in which ... Read More

by Sue Cameron; TV Radio Mirror, April 1972 Word along the party circuit keeps cropping up about the late Pete Duel, who was a favorite among the Hollywood young set. Although no one will confirm anything, the story going around that won't die is that Pete was living with a well-known actress while her equally well-known husband was working in a movie in Europe. Supposedly, two weeks before Pete shot himself, the husband returned and Pete moved home. When word of Pete's alleged suicide reached the airwaves, there were a few people who thought that the husband might have found out and ... Read More

by Liz Dagucon; Tiger Beat Spectacular, April 1972 Everyone was saddened about the shocking news of Pete Duel's death. Hundreds of letters flooded into the office asking if it was true. How I wish the answer was that Pete is alive, well, and happy! But the truth is — on December 31, 1971, Pete died. Your letters asking why a handsome, talented, and successful young actor should choose death over life can never be completely answered. One fact that is absolutely positive is that Pete's family, friends, and fans will miss him very, very much. I interviewed Pete once. The afternoon of the ... Read More

Rona Barrett's Hollywood, April 1972 It could never have made it as a story on Alias Smith and Jones. The plot was too bizarre and there was nothing funny to soften the grisly horror. Prominent Hollywood actor Pete Duel, only 31-years-old, but apparently despondent over a drinking problem he couldn't solve, watched a segment of his TV series with his girlfriend Dianne Ray the night before New Year's Eve. The program depressed him even more, and the basketball game they watched together later didn't cheer him up. Dianne, who had spent the evening in what she thought was comfortable companionship with Pete, ... Read More

Films Illustrated, March 1972 "It takes much more than a handsome face to make it big in films and television today. You just have to look at people like Dustin Hoffman, Elliott Gould, and Donald Sutherland to realise that is true. I don't mean that it is the Age of the Ugly, but audiences have come to expect many dimensions in an actor, rather than a singular ability. The reality achieved from an ordinary, not-so-handsome actor who has substantial talent and who can play both heavy drama and light comedy is what audiences appreciate today." When Pete Duel said that, he ... Read More

by Funky Duke Lewis; Tiger Beat, March 1972 On the other hand, Pete Duel, the Joshua Smith of Alias Smith & Jones, voiced a more general sentiment of actors in long-lived TV shows. "This series, that series, is a big fat drag to an actor who I any interest in his work," Pete said. "It's the ultimate trap. You lose any artistic thing you had, utterly destructive. It isn't the work that tires you, it's that it's a dreadful bore that makes you weary, weary. "Our show is good and I don't blame its writers and directors, what's wrong is the whole system. ... Read More