70s heart-throb David Cassidy is struck down by dementia at 66
‘This man needs serious help’
HE WAS a teen idol whose mere presence sparked hysteria among his legions of fans around the world.
But four decades on from his heyday as a heart-throb, David Cassidy has revealed he is battling dementia after a shambolic club gig which left the audience shocked and concerned.
The 66-year- old American singer and actor, who became famous for his role in the 1970s TV series The Partridge Family before embarking on a hugely successful solo career, said: ‘I was in denial, but a part of me always knew this was coming.’
Cassidy also told how his grandfather had battled memory loss and how he had watched his mother Evelyn Ward ‘disappear’ into dementia before her death at the age of 89.
Of his mother’s ordeal, he said: ‘In the end, the only way I knew she recognised me is with one single tear that would drop from her eye every time I walked into the room. I feared I would end up that way.’ Having now accepted his own condition, Cassidy has decided to stop touring to concentrate on his health.
‘I want to focus on what I am, who I am and how I’ve been without any distractions. I want to love. I want to enjoy life,’ he told People magazine.
His revelations followed a performance at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California, on Saturday where he struggled to remember lyrics to songs or play the guitar.
At one point, Cassidy, whose hits included Daydreamer and Cherish, abandoned the guitar completely, saying: ‘Apologies. I can’t play the guitar, it’s badly out of tune.’ He then grabbed a microphone but hit himself in the face with it.
Another time, after forgetting the words to a song, he attempted an instrumental alongside his keyboard player but fell backwards over a piece of stage equipment.
During the show he also told rambling anecdotes, many of which did not make sense, and there were long pauses where he seemed confused and hugged his guitar. In a video posted online by a fan, he appeared irritated, turned his back on the crowd and said: ‘You’re obviously not listening, I’ll just shut up.’
Cassidy, who has fought a high-profile battle with alcoholism, returned to the microphone after the audience chanted his name. But others could be heard shouting ‘coffee’ – believing he was drunk and needed to sober up.
In another fan video, he can be seen trying to launch into a story between songs, but his band quickly started playing before he could do so.
Fernando Perdomo, a guitarist from another band playing at the club, shared a video of the star struggling and wrote: ‘David Cassidy last night was the worst show I have ever seen. This man needs serious help.’
Cassidy has suffered several years of personal problems. He has been arrested for drink- driving three times since 2010, and has been ordered to attend rehab and a nine-month alcohol education programme. After his third arrest, his third wife, Sue Shifrin- Cassidy, filed for divorce. In February 2015 he filed for bankruptcy.
In March, Cassidy was sentenced to two years probation after he hit a vehicle on a Florida highway and fled the scene. Cassidy’s spokesman declined to comment further last night.