Seventies pop idol who never wanted to be a heart-throb

in 1973 he did six sell-out shows at Wembley Stadium.

In 1974 tragedy struck when fans stampeded at White City Stadium in London. More than 600 were hurt, and Bernadette Whelan, 14, died in hospital.

David said the tragedy would “haunt” him until he died. He quit The Partridge Family and set about reinventing himself as a serious singer-songwriter and actor. In 1977 he wed actress Kay Lenz but they divorced four years later.

A second marriage to horse breeder Meryl Tanz was short-lived and in 1986 he had daughter Katie with Sherry Williams. This year he revealed he was estranged from his first child.

He wed songwriter Sue Shifrin in 1991, and they had son Beau, now 26, but she filed for divorce in 2014.

In a 2007 book he admitted using booze to “numb” himself. “I was sitting at home drinking wine on my own till 4am,” he said.

Arrests for drink-driving and traffic offences followed, including one in New York when he asked arresting officer Tom Jones: “What’s new pussycat?” With his finances in ruins he filed for bankruptcy and his mansion was auctioned off. It led to a bizarre appearance in 2015 on This Morning via satellite link with Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford. Looking worse for drink, he demanded: “Are you trying to rubbish me?” In March, after falling on stage, David revealed he had dementia, saying: “I want to love. I want to enjoy life.” Tributes from the world of music have poured in since he died on Sunday with his ex-wife Shifrin, son Beau and brother Patrick beside him. Gloria Gaynor said he “brought music and laughter into the homes of millions”. Sadly, while others saw him as a perfect pop star, David Cassidy could not.

The look that girls adored

Fans wait for him in London in May 1974