Partridge Family idol Cassidy dies at 67
Stars pay tribute to singer who revealed battle against dementia
STARS today paid tribute to former teen heartthrob David Cassidy after his death at the age of 67.
Cassidy, who rose to fame in the Seventies US sitcom The Partridge Family, had been taken to hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last week with organ failure. He died yesterday, surrounded by loved ones.
His family said he had passed away “with joy in his heart” and “free from the pain that had gripped him for so long”. Earlier this year the New York -born singer revealed that he had been diagnosed with dementia and would stop touring in order to “enjoy life”.
Leading the tributes was Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson, who remem bered spending time with Cassidy in the mid-Seventies.
“I’m very sad to hear about David Cassidy,” Wilson, 75, tweeted. “There were times in the mid-1970s when he would come over to my house and we even started writing a song together. He was a very talented and nice person. Love & mercy to David and his family.”
The singer Gloria Gaynor wrote: “My thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of David Cassidy ... part of a musical legacy via his role as Keith Partridge that brought music and laughter into the homes of millions.”
Marie Osmond, a member of showbiz family The Osmonds, shared a photo of old magazines featuring the teen idol. She added: “Heartbroken over the passing of David Cassidy. He graced the covers of teen magazines with my brothers in the Seventies. My condolences to his family.”
Cassidy was born in Manhattan to the singer and actor Jack Cassidy and Evelyn Ward, an actress. After becoming a star playing Keith Partridge, the oldest child in the musical Partridge family, he went on to have a hugely successful career. At the peak of his fame in the Seventies, his fan club had a bigger membership than that of The Beatles and Elvis Presley, leading the media to refer to “Cassidymania”. In 1974, at a concert at London’s White City stadium, 30 people were taken to hospital after the crowd surged, with one, 14-year-old Bernadette Whelan, dying days later. Cassidy, who was deeply affected by the death, wrote to her parents.
Throughout his career, the star received multiple Grammy nominations and sold more than 30 million records. However, he struggled with his teen idol image and the pressures of fame. In 2008 he spoke publicly about his alcohol problem and was later arrested several times for drink-driving. His third wife filed for divorce in 2014 and he filed for bankruptcy the following year. The first of his two children, Katie Cassidy, is a successful actress.
Paying tribute, film director Kevin Smith posted a video of Cassidy presenting an MTV award in 1990, and wrote: “I grew up in an era before even cable TV, when The Partridge Family was already in reruns. David Cassidy’s Keith was one of my favourite TV characters. He was legit funny AND he could sing. The man entertained me during my childhood and even years later.”
The TV and radio host Larry King tweeted: “Sad to learn David Cassidy has died. Like his father Jack he had great talent, and a complicated life.”