Jacqueline Falk, the daughter of late Columbo actor Peter Falk, has died. She was 60.
According to a report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Jacqueline died on Monday, April 27, at her residence. Her death was ruled a suicide.
The case for Jacqueline’s death remains an open investigation.
TMZ was first to report.
Jacqueline was one of two daughters that Peter adopted with ex-wife Alyce Mayo. The exes, who were college sweethearts, also share daughter Catherine, whom they welcomed via adoption.
Peter was best known for starring as the titular role in Columbo, which earned him four Emmys. In addition to his TV work, Peter starred in multiple beloved films, including Pocketful of Miracles, Murder, Inc., The Princess Bride and more.
While Jacqueline preferred to live her life out of the spotlight, she did join her dad for an occasional public outing. Peter brought Jacqueline as his plus one to the 50th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in 1988.
Following his divorce from Mayo in 1976, Peter moved on with Shera Danese. The couple wed in 1977. Peter and Danese were together until his death in 2011. The actor died at the age of 83 after battling Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
After his death, Catherine became an advocate for family law. Catherine previously claimed that she faced barriers in maintaining contact with her dad while he was alive. According to the website for her nonprofit the Catherine Falk Organization, she and Jacqueline allegedly learned of their father’s death “from media reports and their attorney.”
Catherine’s alleged struggles inspired her to push for the legislation known as Peter Falk’s Law. The bill protects visitation and communication rights for adult children whose parents are incapacitated.
Following her father’s death, Catherine has opened up about the happy memories from her childhood.
“My dad would always want to make eye contact with us,” Catherine said in a 2023 interview with Closer. “Because my dad only had sight in his left eye, he would turn his entire head around to see us. We were always in a panic because he would go through red lights or wind up on the sidewalk!”
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Catherine added that her dad was a lot like Lieutenant Columbo off screen.
“My mom always told me my dad was Columbo long before Columbo found my dad,” she recalled. “He’d ask the same question like 20 different ways until he got the answer that he wanted. He was always curious about things.”
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