Suzanne Crough Condray

Actress and star of The Partridge Family Born: March 6, 1963; Died: April 27, 2015.

SUZANNE Crough Condray, who has died aged 52, was the youngest daughter on the hit 1970s television show The Partridge Family. She played Tracy Partridge in the show, which ran from 1970 to 1974.

It revolved around a widowed mother and her five children who formed a band. The series starred Shirley Jones, with her real-life stepson David Cassidy as the resident heartthrob.

Crough as Tracy played the tambourine as a member of the TV family’s band and largely set up the punchlines for the other cast members; her on-screen brother Danny was played by Danny Bonaduce. Crough had appeared only in a Barbie commercial before she was cast on The Partridge Family.

As an adult, she continued to work in movies for television, appearing in the 1977 drama series Mulligan’s Stew, and had a starring role in the film Teenage Father.

The film won director Taylor Hackford an Oscar for best live action short film in 1979, and Crough was thanked in his acceptance speech.

Later on in life, the former actress attended the occasional Partridge Family reunion, including interviews and other celebrations. Her husband said she was especially close to Dave Madden, who played the grumpy manager on the show who died in 2014, and was very fond of Shirley Jones, her on-screen mother.

Born in Fullerton, California, Crough lived for years in her native state with her husband and two daughters. For some time, she owned the Book Center bookstore in Temecula, California.

Her husband, a former policeman, said that he met Crough through a friend when they were in their 20s. “I asked her if she was a real actress, and she asked me if I was a real cop,” he said.

He worked at the time in law enforcement on the graveyard shift and later went to law school. Once they married, Crough was still interested in acting, her husband said, but she wanted to focus on their family.

“I can’t tell you the number of sacrifices she made in order for me to get through law school and for our kids. She was truly a devout mother,” he said.

Crough stayed in touch with a group of child stars even after the family moved to Nevada. They relocated because she was promoted to a management role with a retail company.

Police said the cause of Crough’s death was unknown. Her last credited role was in the television movie Children of Divorce in 1980.

She is survived by her husband, William Condray, their daughters, Samantha and Alexandra, and a granddaughter.