David Cassidy, the teen and pre-teen idol who starred in the 1970s sitcom 91裸聊视频淭he Partridge Family91裸聊视频� and sold millions of records as the musical group91裸聊视频檚 lead singer, died Tuesday at age 67.
Cassidy, who announced earlier this year that he had been diagnosed with dementia, died surrounded by his family, a family statement released by publicist JoAnn Geffen said. No further details were immediately available, but Geffen said on Saturday that Cassidy was in a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hospital suffering from organ failure.
91裸聊视频淒avid died surrounded by those he loved, with joy in his heart and free from the pain that had gripped him for so long,91裸聊视频� the statement said. 91裸聊视频淭hank you for the abundance and support you have shown him these many years.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淭he Partridge Family91裸聊视频� aired from 1970-74 and was a fictional variation of the 91裸聊视频�60s performers the Cowsills, intended at first as a vehicle for Shirley Jones, the Oscar-winning actress and Cassidy91裸聊视频檚 stepmother.
Jones played Shirley Partridge, a widow with five children with whom she forms a popular act that travels on a psychedelic bus.
The cast also featured Cassidy as eldest son and family heartthrob Keith Partridge; Susan Dey, later of 91裸聊视频淟.A. Law91裸聊视频� fame, as sibling Laurie Partridge and Danny Bonaduce as sibling Danny Partridge.
It was an era for singing families 91裸聊视频� the Osmonds, the Jacksons. 91裸聊视频淭he Partridge Family91裸聊视频� never cracked the top 10 in TV ratings, but the recordings under their name, mostly featuring Cassidy, Jones and session players, produced real-life musical hits and made Cassidy a real-life musical superstar.
The Partridges91裸聊视频� best known song, 91裸聊视频淚 Think I Love You,91裸聊视频� spent three weeks on top of the Billboard chart at a time when other hit singles included James Taylor91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淔ire and Rain91裸聊视频� and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淭he Tears of a Clown.91裸聊视频�
The group also reached the top 10 with 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檒l Meet You Halfway91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淒oesn91裸聊视频檛 Somebody Want to be Wanted91裸聊视频� and Cassidy had a solo hit with 91裸聊视频淐herish.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚n two years, David Cassidy has swept hurricane-like into the pre-pubescent lives of millions of American girls,91裸聊视频� Rolling Stone magazine noted in 1972. 91裸聊视频淟eaving: six and a half million long-playing albums and singles; 44 television programs; David Cassidy lunch boxes; David Cassidy bubble gum; David Cassidy coloring books and David Cassidy pens; not to mention several millions of teen magazines, wall stickers, love beads, posters and photo albums.91裸聊视频�
Cassidy91裸聊视频檚 appeal faded after the show went off the air, although he continued to tour, record and act over the next 40 years, his albums including 91裸聊视频淩omance91裸聊视频� and the awkwardly titled 91裸聊视频淒idn91裸聊视频檛 You Used To Be?91裸聊视频�
He had a hit with 91裸聊视频淚 Write the Songs91裸聊视频� before Barry Manilow91裸聊视频檚 chart-topping version and success overseas with 91裸聊视频淭he Last Kiss,91裸聊视频� featuring backing vocals from Cassidy admirer George Michael. He made occasional stage and television appearances, including an Emmy-nominated performance on 91裸聊视频淧olice Story.91裸聊视频�
Meanwhile, 91裸聊视频淭he Partridge Family91裸聊视频� remained popular in re-runs and Cassidy, who kept his dark bangs and boyish appearance well into middle age, frequently turned up for reunions and spoke often about his early success.
91裸聊视频淪o many people come up to me and talk to me about the impact it (the show) had,91裸聊视频� he told Arsenio Hall in 1990.
Even while 91裸聊视频淭he Partridge Family91裸聊视频� was still in primetime, Cassidy worried that he was mistaken for the wholesome character he played.
He posed naked for Rolling Stone in 1972, when he confided that he had dropped acid as a teenager and smoked pot in front of the magazine91裸聊视频檚 reporter as he watched an episode of 91裸聊视频淭he Partridge Family91裸聊视频� and mocked his own acting.
Cassidy maintained an exhausting schedule during the show91裸聊视频檚 run, filming during the week and performing live shows over the weekend, but had plenty of time to indulge himself.
In the memoir 91裸聊视频淐ould It Be Forever,91裸聊视频� he wrote of his prolific sex life and of rejecting Dey91裸聊视频檚 advances because she lacked the 91裸聊视频渟lutty aspect of a female that I always found so attractive.91裸聊视频�
Cassidy would endure personal and financial troubles. He was married and divorced three times, battled alcoholism, was arrested for drunk driving and in 2015 filed for bankruptcy. Cassidy had two children, musician Beau Cassidy and actress Katie Cassidy, with whom he acknowledged having a distant relationship.
91裸聊视频淚 wasn91裸聊视频檛 her father. I was her biological father but I didn91裸聊视频檛 raise her,91裸聊视频� he told People magazine in 2017. 91裸聊视频淪he has a completely different life.91裸聊视频�
Cassidy himself was estranged from his father. Born in New York City in 1950, he was the son of actors Jack Cassidy and Evelyn Ward and half-brother of entertainer Shaun Cassidy. David Cassidy91裸聊视频檚 parents split up when he was five and he would long express regret about Jack Cassidy, who soon married Shirley Jones, being mostly absent from his life. David Cassidy stayed with his mother and by the early 1960s had moved to Los Angeles.
Kicked out of high school for truancy, David Cassidy dreamed of becoming an actor and had made appearances on 91裸聊视频淏onanza,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频滻ronside91裸聊视频� and other programs before producers at ABC television asked him to audition for 91裸聊视频淭he Partridge Family,91裸聊视频� unaware that he could sing and intending at first to have him mime songs to someone else91裸聊视频檚 voice.
Cassidy, who only learned during tryouts that Jones would play his mother, worried that Keith Partridge would be a 91裸聊视频渞eal comedown91裸聊视频� from his previous roles.
91裸聊视频淚 mean, how much could an actor do with a line like, 91裸聊视频楬i, Mom, I91裸聊视频檓 home from school,91裸聊视频� or 91裸聊视频楶lease pass the milk?91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� he wrote in his memoir. 91裸聊视频淚 didn91裸聊视频檛 see how it could do much for me. After all, I wasn91裸聊视频檛 the star of it. Shirley had top billing; I was just one of the kids.91裸聊视频�
Hillel Italie, The Associated Press
