Tributes paid to former teen idol David Cassidy who dies aged 67

● Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson among those to praise former Partridge Family star

Tributes were paid yesterday to David Cassidy, the musician and actor who shot to fame in the 1970s sitcom The Partridge Family.

The former US teen idol died on Tuesday, less than a week after he was admitted to a Florida hospital suffering from multiple organ failure. He was 67.

Earlier this year, Cassidy revealed he had dementia and had decided to stop touring.

His family said: “David died surrounded by those he loved, with joy in his heart and free from the pain that had gripped him for so long.”

Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys legend, was among those to pay tribute, describing Cassidy as a “very talented and nice person,” while singer Gloria Gaynor praised him as someone who “brought music and laughter into the homes of millions”.

Cassidy became an international celebrity thanks to The Partridge Family, a musical sitcom about a mother and her five children who formed a band. The show spawned several hit songs, such as I Think I Love You, and launched Cassidy’s career as a pop singer.

At the height of his fame in 1974, he was mobbed by fans at Glasgow’s Shawfield Stadium, but with the hysteria reaching fever pitch, he raised doubts over his future as a live performer. Two days after the Glasgow date, a 14-year-old fan was crushed to death at a London concert. The tragedy convinced Cassidy his touring days were over.

After a chart career spanning 18 gold and platinum records and more than 30 million sales worldwide, he reinvented himself as a stage star on Broadway and in the West End before returning to live concerts.

In recent years, he filed for bankruptcy and was arrested several times for drink-driving. He was married three times and had two children.

Many of Cassidy’s fans and celebrity supporters in Britain took to social media yesterday to remember him in his pomp.

They included the actor and comic Dawn French who shared a picture of the young singer on Twitter along with the words: “I cherished you”.

Newsreader Kay Burley said Cassidy was her “first love”, while comic Jenny Eclair said he was among those who “soaked up all the tears” for teenagers in the 1970s.

Veteran BBC Radio 2 presenter Tony Blackburn said: “Very sad to hear that David Cassidy has passed away. I knew him well and toured with him introducing his concerts in the 70s and he was a nice guy. RIP David.”

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