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‘Dukes of Hazzard’: Daisy Duke Actor Catherine Bach Had a Writing Contract with ABC Before Show

Catherine Bach, who played Daisy Duke on the “Dukes of Hazzard” TV series, actually had a writing contract with ABC before the series.

“The last thing I did before ‘Dukes’ was I wrote a one-act play and I had a writing contract at ABC,” Bach said in an interview from the “Dukes of Hazzard” third season DVD.

Bach, 67, played in 145 of 147 total episodes of the CBS action drama. The show could always find a way to include humor as well. Considering that the Duke boys, played by John Schneider and Tom Wopat, always were on the run from Boss Hogg [Sorrell Booke] and Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane [James Best]. Why? They were on probation for bootlegging moonshine.

The “Dukes of Hazzard” allowed Bach, as the Dukes’ cousin, an opportunity to be part of a hit TV show. It aired on Friday nights, which was a hot night in the 1970s-80s for CBS. The show was a lead-in for “Dallas,” which routinely found itself No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings.

For Bach, she has managed to stay busy since the show ended. If you’re looking for her, then look no further than “The Young and The Restless” soap opera on CBS. She plays Anita Lawson, a role she’s held since going on the show in 2012.

‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Actress Had To Deal With Husband’s Tragic Death

While it might seem life’s been good for Bach since the “Dukes of Hazzard” ended its seven-season run in 1985, then know that’s not true.

In April 2010, her husband Peter Lopez, 60, a well-known entertainment industry attorney, was found dead after committing suicide. Lopez’s clients included Michael Jackson, rock band the Eagles, and Michael Buble.

During an interview with Huffington Post in 2013, Bach talked about what she went through after his death. Bach said that day was like any other. Their family got up, had breakfast, then Lopez and Bach kissed each other goodbye. They went to work.

Then-Los Angeles County assistant chief coroner Ed Winter said a neighbor reportedly heard a gunshot. Someone, not Bach, found Lopez’s body at the family home.

“We were so devastated,” the “Dukes of Hazzard” star said. “When you are part of a happy family unit, you lose part of that … I mean, we were completely insulated and happy with our family. Peter and I really knew what was important in life and I think we instilled that in our daughters.”

Sophia and Laura, Bach and Lopez’s daughters, were 14 and 12 at the time of their father’s death. Bach said relying on her priest, friends, and prayer helped her a lot.