David Cassidy

File:Jack Cassidy, Shirley Jones and David Cassidy.jpg (left) and his stepmother Shirley Jones (center) in 1971]]

David Cassidy was born at Flower Fifth Avenue Hospital in New York City, the son of singer and actor Jack Cassidy and actress Evelyn Ward.{{cite web| url = https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/797124%7C0/David-Cassidy/| title=David Cassidy| publisher=Turner Classic Movies| access-date=February 28, 2017| archive-date= February 28, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228201628/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/797124%7C0/David-Cassidy/| url-status=live|quote=David Bruce Cassidy was born on April 12, 1950, at Manhattan's Flower Fifth Avenue Hospital (now the Terence Cardinal Cook Healthcare Center) on Upper Fifth Avenue.}}{{cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/people/david-cassidy-307308|title=David Cassidy Biography: Television Actor, Singer (1950–)|publisher=Biography.com (FYI/A&E Networks)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105112252/http://www.biography.com/people/david-cassidy-307308|archive-date=January 5, 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=February 28, 2017}} His father was of half Irish and half German ancestry, and his mother was descended mostly from Colonial Americans, along with having some Irish and Swiss roots.{{cite news |last=Smolenyak |first=Megan |date=March 7, 2011 |title=Should David Cassidy Have Let His Roots Show on Celebrity Apprentice? |work=The Huffington Post |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/megan-smolenyak-smolenyak/should-david-cassidy-have_b_832283.html |access-date=May 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206062835/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/should-david-cassidy-have_b_832283 |archive-date=February 6, 2022 |quote=Aside from a dash of Swiss and a little more Irish, this part of Cassidy's tree marches steadily back in New Jersey for generations. In fact, some of his ancestors were among the founders of Newark.}} His mother's ancestors were among the founders of Newark, New Jersey.

As his parents were frequently touring on the road, he spent his early years being raised by his maternal grandparents Frederick and Ethel Ward in a middle-class neighborhood in West Orange, New Jersey.{{cite book |last1=Cassidy |first1=David |last2=Deffaa |first2=Chip|title=C'mon, Get Happy ... Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus |year=1994|publisher=Warner Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-446-39531-1 |page=1}} In 1958, he found out from neighbors' children that his parents had been divorced for more than two years and had not told him.C'mon, Get Happy, p. 4

In 1956, Cassidy's father married singer and actress Shirley Jones. They had three children, David's half-brothers Shaun (b. 1958), Patrick (b. 1962), and Ryan (b. 1966). In 1968, after completing one final session of summer school to obtain credits necessary to get a high school diploma, David moved into the rental home of Jack Cassidy and Shirley Jones in Irvington, New York, where his half-brothers also lived.C'mon, Get Happy, p. 35 Cassidy remained there, seeking fame as an actor/musician, while simultaneously working half-days in the mailroom of a textile firm.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/naked-lunch-box-19720511|title=David Cassidy: Naked Lunch Box|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=October 4, 2015|date=May 11, 1972|archive-date=October 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004003214/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/naked-lunch-box-19720511|url-status=dead}} He moved out when his career began to flourish.

Cassidy's father, Jack, is credited with setting his son up with his first manager. After David Cassidy signed with Universal Studios in 1969, Jack introduced him to former table tennis champion and close friend Ruth Aarons, who later found her niche as a talent manager, given her theater background.{{cite web|title=Ruth Aarons |url=http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Table-Tennis/USATT/Hall-of-Fame/Profiles/Ruth-Aarons.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621165659/https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Table-Tennis/USATT/Hall-of-Fame/Profiles/Ruth-Aarons.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 21, 2012 |publisher=Team USA }} Aarons had represented Jack and Shirley Jones for several years and later represented Cassidy's half-brother Shaun. Aarons became an authority figure and close friend to Cassidy and was the driving force behind his on-screen success. After Cassidy made small wages from Screen Gems for his work on The Partridge Family during season one, Aarons discovered that he had been underage when he signed his contract; she then renegotiated the contract with far superior provisions and a rare four-year term.{{cite book|last=Cassidy|first=David|title=Could it be Forever? My Story|year=2007|publisher=Headline Publishing Group|location=London|isbn=9780755315796|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/coulditbeforever0000cass}}

On January 2, 1969, Cassidy made his professional debut in the Broadway musical The Fig Leaves Are Falling. It closed after four performances,C'mon, Get Happy, p. 43 but a casting director saw the show and asked Cassidy to make a screen test. In 1969, he moved to Los Angeles. After signing with Universal Studios in 1969, Cassidy was featured in episodes of the television series Ironside, Marcus Welby, M.D., Adam-12, Medical Center, and Bonanza.{{cite magazine |date= |title=David Cassidy |url=http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/david-cassidy/credits/146368/ |magazine=TV Guide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205233421/https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/david-cassidy/credits/3000054927/ |archive-date=February 5, 2022 |access-date=May 20, 2020}}

File:The Partridge Family David Cassidy 1970.jpg in 1970|196x196px]]File:Partridge Family first cast 1970.JPG, Jeremy Gelbwaks, Suzanne Crough, Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce and Cassidy.]]

In 1970, Cassidy took the role of Keith Partridge on the musical television show The Partridge Family produced by Screen Gems. After demonstrating his singing talent, Cassidy was allowed to join the studio ensemble as the lead singer. (He and his stepmother Shirley Jones who portrayed his on-screen mother Shirley Partridge were the only TV cast members to appear on any Partridge Family recordings.){{cite book| title= C'mon, Get Happy: Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus| first1= David| last1= Cassidy | first2= Chip| last2= Deffaa| author-link2= Chip Deffaa| year= 1994| publisher= DBC Enterprises, Warner Books Inc.| isbn= 9780446395311}}

Cassidy's work on The Partridge Family made him a teen idol,{{Cite web|url=https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/19864/partridge-family-after-show-shirley-jones-david-cassidy-susan-dey-danny-bonaduce-dave-madden/|title=What Did the Cast of 'The Partridge Family' Do After the Show?|first=Gabrielle|last=Moss|date=September 25, 2024|website=Remind}}

but stardom took a toll on him. In the midst of his rise to fame, Cassidy felt stifled by the show and trapped by the mass hysteria surrounding his every move.{{rp|92–95}} In May 1972, to alter his public image, he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in a revealing Annie Leibovitz photo;{{rp|167}} among other things, the accompanying Rolling Stone article mentioned that Cassidy was riding around New York in the back of a car "stoned and drunk."{{cite magazine |date=May 11, 1972 |first=Robin |last= Green |author-link=Robin Green |title=Naked Lunch Box |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/david-cassidy-naked-lunch-box-178864/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002090902/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/david-cassidy-naked-lunch-box-178864/ |archive-date=October 2, 2020 |access-date=August 22, 2023}}

Once "I Think I Love You"—the first single released by The Partridge Family pop group—became a hit, Cassidy began work on solo albums, including Cherish and Rock Me Baby, both released in 1972. Within the first year, he had produced his own single, a cover of The Association's "Cherish" (from the album of the same title); the song reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, number two in the United Kingdom (a double A-side with "Could It Be Forever"), and number one in Australia and New Zealand. He began tours that featured The Partridge Family tunes and his own hits.

Cassidy achieved far greater solo chart success in the UK than in his native America, including a cover of The Young Rascals' "How Can I Be Sure" and the double A-side single "Daydreamer" / "The Puppy Song" – a UK number one which failed to chart in the States. In Britain, Cassidy the solo star remains best known for "Daydreamer", "How Can I Be Sure" and "Could It Be Forever" (UK number 2/US number 37), all released during his 1972–73 solo chart peak.

After launching his solo musical career, he was for a short time the highest paid entertainer in the world. At the peak of his career, Cassidy's fan club was larger than that of any other musical group or pop star, including The Beatles or Elvis Presley.{{Cite web |title=9 things you (probably) didn't know about David Cassidy – National {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/3874613/things-you-didnt-know-about-david-cassidy/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810225418/https://globalnews.ca/news/3874613/things-you-didnt-know-about-david-cassidy/ |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |access-date=August 10, 2022 |website=Global News |language=en-US}} A fictionalized version of him starred in the fan magazine David Cassidy. Many of its issues were signed by Turkish comics creator Su Gumen.{{Cite book |author=Time |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_T8EAAAAMBAJ&dq=david+cassidy+solo&pg=PA71 |title=Life |date=October 29, 1971 |publisher=Time Inc |pages=71 |language=en}} In a 1993 interview, Cassidy said that he was frustrated by his portrayal in the magazines, which sanitized his image. His fan club nicknamed a star after him in the International Star Registry in 1983.{{Cite web |title=David Cassidy Fans – Fan's Tales New York |url=https://www.starregistry.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810225415/http://www.davidcassidy.com/fansite/FansPages/FansTalesNY2.html |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |access-date=August 10, 2022 |website=www.davidcassidy.com}} In his autobiography, Cassidy said that he felt overwhelmed by his fanbase, and said that "it became impossible for me to go in a store or even walk down the street without being stopped by people."{{Cite book |last=Cassidy |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8JkzAgAAQBAJ&dq=david+cassidy+fan+magazine&pg=PT79 |title=Could It Be Forever? My Story |date=2012 |publisher=Headline |isbn=978-0-7553-6468-8 |language=en}}

Cassidy was best known for his work on The Partridge Family,{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/katie-shaun-cassidy-remember-david-on-75th-birthday-11715075|title=Katie and Shaun Cassidy Pay Tribute to the Late David Cassidy on What Would Have Been His 75th Birthday|website=People.com|last=Shkurtaj |first=Tereza |date=April 14, 2025}} which aired until March 1974.{{Cite web|url=https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/12319/the-partridge-family-1970s-david-cassidy-shirley-jones/|title=How David Cassidy & The Partridge Family Came To Rule 1970s|first=Johnny Ray|last=Miller|date=March 23, 2024|website=Remind}} Though he wanted to become a respected rock musician along the lines of Mick Jagger, his channel to stardom launched him into the ranks of teen idol, a brand he loathed until much later in life when he came to terms with his pop idol beginnings. Ten albums by The Partridge Family and five solo albums by Cassidy were produced during the series, with most selling more than a million copies each.File:David Cassidy tijdens de opnames - NA - 928-0296.jpg Internationally, Cassidy's solo career eclipsed the phenomenal success of The Partridge Family. He became an instant drawing card, with sellout concert successes in major arenas around the world. These concerts produced mass hysteria, resulting in the media coining the term "Cassidymania". For example, he played to two sellout crowds of 56,000 each at the Houston Astrodome in Texas over one weekend in 1972.{{cite web | url = http://www.news.google.com/newspapers?id=ydgRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=a-0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6929,863578&dq=david+cassidy&realname=The_%27new%27_David_Cassidy_steps_out | title = The 'new' David Cassidy steps out | date = August 16, 1975 | access-date = August 3, 2009}}{{dead link|date=January 2014}} His concert in New York's Madison Square Garden sold out in one day and resulted in riots after the show.{{cite news |last=Heckman |first=Don |date=March 12, 1972 |title=Cassidy is Focus of New Pop Trend; "Partridge FAMILY" Star Puts Sensuality Into Singing |work=The New York Times |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10716FC3F5E127A93C0A81788D85F468785F9&realname=CASSIDY_IS_FOCUS_OF_NEW_POP_TREND |access-date=August 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101191852/http://www.nytimes.com/1972/03/12/archives/cassidy-is-focus-of-new-pop-trend-partridge-family-star-puts.html |archive-date=January 1, 2018}} His concert tours of the United Kingdom included sellout concerts at Wembley Arena in 1973. In Australia in 1974, the mass hysteria was such that calls were made to have him deported from the country, especially after the madness at his 33,000-person audience concert at Melbourne Cricket Ground.{{cite web | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BJ0QAAAAIBAJ&pg=4741,3108448&dq=david+cassidy+concert&realname=More_Control_Urged_At_Future_Pop_Concerts | title = More Control Urged At Future Pop Concerts | date = March 13, 1974 | work = The Age | access-date = August 3, 2009 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yjUQAAAAIBAJ&pg=7198,3795659&dq=david+cassidy+concert | title = David Cassidy is a Health Hazard | date = March 13, 1974 | work = Ellensburg Daily Record | access-date = January 11, 2014 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

A turning point in Cassidy's career occurred at the penultimate show on a world tour in London's White City Stadium on May 26, 1974. On that date, nearly 800 people were injured in a stampede at the front of the stage. Thirty were taken to the hospital, and a 14-year-old girl, Bernadette Whelan, died four days later at London's Hammersmith Hospital without regaining consciousness.C'mon, Get Happy, pp. 188–190 A deeply affected Cassidy faced the press, trying to make sense of what had happened. Out of respect for the family and to avoid turning Whelan's funeral into a media circus, Cassidy did not attend the service, although he spoke to Whelan's parents and sent flowers. Cassidy stated at the time that this would haunt him until the day he died.{{cite web | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tEAQAAAAIBAJ&pg=6711,8285917&dq=david+cassidy | title = Cassidy Concert, Girl 14 Dies | date = May 30, 1974 | work = The Age | access-date = January 11, 2014 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TlEVAAAAIBAJ&pg=1810,10309348&dq=bernadette+whelan&realname=Cassidy_Fan_Dies | title = Cassidy Fan Dies | date = May 31, 1974 | work = The Sydney Morning Herald | access-date = August 3, 2009 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news |date=May 23, 1999 |title=Crushed To Death at a David Cassidy Concert |newspaper=The Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/crushed-to-death-at-a-david-cassidy-concert-1095281.html |access-date=August 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109003320/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/crushed-to-death-at-a-david-cassidy-concert-1095281.html |archive-date=November 9, 2020}}

{{Quote box|align=right|width=25%|I'm exploited by people who put me on the back of cereal boxes. I asked my housekeeper to go and buy a certain kind of cereal and when she came home, there was a huge picture of me on the back. I can't even eat breakfast without seeing my face.

—New Musical Express, October 1972.{{cite book

| first= John

| last= Tobler

| year= 1992

| title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years

| edition= 1st

| publisher= Reed International Books Ltd

| location= London

| page= 243

| id= CN 5585}}}}

By this point, Cassidy had decided to quit touring, concentrating instead on recording and songwriting. International success continued, mostly in Great Britain, Germany, Japan and South Africa, when he released three well-received solo albums and several hit singles on RCA in 1975 and 1976. Cassidy became the first recording artist to have a hit with "I Write the Songs", peaking at No. 11 in the Top 30 in Great Britain before the song became Barry Manilow's signature tune. Cassidy co-produced the recording with the song's author-composer, Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys. The two artists collaborated on two of Cassidy's mid-70s RCA Records albums The Higher They Climb and Home Is Where the Heart Is.

In 1978, Cassidy starred in an episode of Police Story titled "A Chance to Live", for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series at the 30th Primetime Emmy Awards.{{cite web |title=David Cassidy – Television Academy |url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/david-cassidy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118083711/https://www.emmys.com/bios/david-cassidy |archive-date=January 18, 2023}} NBC created a series based on it, called David Cassidy: Man Undercover, but it was cancelled after one season. A decade later, the successful Fox series 21 Jump Street used the same plot, with different youthful-looking police officers infiltrating a high school.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

Cassidy later stated he was broke by the 1980s, despite being successful and highly paid.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/21/david-cassidy-says-has-dementia-day-appearing-fall-stage-concert/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/21/david-cassidy-says-has-dementia-day-appearing-fall-stage-concert/ |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=David Cassidy says he has dementia a day after appearing to fall off stage during concert|first=David|last=Millward|date=February 21, 2017|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London}}{{cbignore}} In 1985, music success continued with the Arista release of the single "The Last Kiss" (number six in the United Kingdom), with backing vocals by George Michael, which was included on the album Romance. These went gold in Europe and Australia, and Cassidy supported them with a sellout tour of the United Kingdom, which resulted in the Greatest Hits Live compilation of 1986. Michael cited Cassidy as a major career influence and interviewed Cassidy for David Litchfield's Ritz Newspaper.{{cite news |first=David |last=Litchfield |work=Ritz Newspaper |issue=100 |title=David Cassidy by George Michael |pages=16–19 |year=1985 |quote=The interview between DAVID and GEORGE first took place over lunch at Pier 31 Restaurant, at which they both got rather inebriated...}}

Cassidy performed in musical theater. In 1981, he toured in a revival of a pre-Broadway production of Little Johnny Jones, a show originally produced in 1904 with music, lyrics, and book by George M. Cohan. (The show is excerpted in the 1942 biographic film Yankee Doodle Dandy, when James Cagney as Cohan sings "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "The Yankee Doodle Boy".) However, Cassidy received negative reviews, and he was replaced by another former teen idol, Donny Osmond,C'mon, Get Happy, p. 221 before the show reached Broadway.{{cite web|author=The Broadway League |url=http://ibdb.com/production.php?id=4164 |title=Little Johnny Jones (1982 revival) |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |date=March 21, 1982 |access-date=October 14, 2010}} Cassidy, in turn, was himself a replacement for Doug Voet as the lead character Joseph in the original 1982 Broadway production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.{{cite web |title=Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat cast replacements |url=http://ibdb.com/productionreplacements.asp?ID=4158 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322192242/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/little-johnny-jones-4164 |archive-date=March 22, 2022 |access-date=October 14, 2010 |publisher=Internet Broadway Database}} Cassidy also appeared in London's West End production of Time and returned to Broadway in Blood Brothers alongside Petula Clark and his half-brother Shaun Cassidy.{{cite web |last=Hetrick |first=Adam |date=November 22, 2017 |title=David Cassidy, Partridge Family Star With Broadway Roots, Dies at 67 |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/david-cassidy-partridge-family-star-with-broadway-roots-dies-at-67 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221113143257/https://www.playbill.com/article/david-cassidy-partridge-family-star-with-broadway-roots-dies-at-67 |archive-date=November 13, 2022 |access-date=September 4, 2021 |website=Playbill}}

Cassidy returned to the American top 40 with his 1990 single "Lyin' to Myself", released on Enigma Records, from his 1990 album David Cassidy, followed by the 1992 album Didn't You Used to Be... on Scotti Brothers Records.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} In 1998, he had an adult contemporary music hit with "No Bridge I Wouldn't Cross" from his album Old Trick New Dog on his own Slamajamma Records label.{{Cite web |title=98o And Rising FEATURES THE PLATINUM HIT BECAUSE OF YOU" & THE NEW SMASH SINGLE "THE HARDES- THING" |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/1990s/1999/RR-1999-02-19.pdf}}

Along with Cassidy's single "Lyin' to Myself", 1990 was also the year he starred as the lead of the motion picture comedy, The Spirit of '76, where he played Adam-11, a man from the future who arrived in the US in the year 1976 on a mission to find the US Constitution.{{Citation |last=Reiner |first=Lucas |title=The Spirit of '76 |date=October 12, 1990 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100670/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 |type=Comedy, Sci-Fi |access-date=July 14, 2023 |others=Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale, Carl Reiner |publisher=Black Diamond Productions, Castle Rock Entertainment, Commercial Pictures (I)}} It was also the year he appeared as a main character in the romantic drama Instant Karma.{{Citation |last=Taylor |first=Roderick |title=Instant Karma |date=April 27, 1990 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099849/?ref_=nm_flmg_t_16_act |type=Drama, Romance |access-date=July 14, 2023 |others=Craig Sheffer, Annette Sinclair, Orson Bean |publisher=Desert Wind, Rosenbloom Entertainment}}

From November 1996 to December 1998, Cassidy starred in the Las Vegas show EFX at the MGM Grand Las Vegas.{{cite news |author=Schorr |first=Melissa |date=October 8, 1998 |title=David Cassidy to depart MGM's 'EFX' |url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/1998/oct/08/david-cassidy-to-depart-mgms-efx/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043951/https://lasvegassun.com/news/1998/oct/08/david-cassidy-to-depart-mgms-efx/ |archive-date=March 6, 2019 |access-date=March 3, 2019 |newspaper=Las Vegas Sun}} In 2000, Cassidy wrote and appeared in the Las Vegas show At the Copa with Sheena Easton, as both the young and old versions of the lead character, Johnny Flamingo.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} His 2001 album Then and Now went platinum internationally and returned Cassidy to the top five of the UK album charts for the first time since 1974.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

In 2005, Cassidy played Grant, the manager of Aaron Carter's character J.D. McQueen in the film Popstar.{{cite web |title=Popstar |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0426550/ |publisher=Tag Entertainment |date=November 8, 2005}} He co-starred alongside his half-brother Patrick in a short-lived 2009 ABC Family comedy series titled Ruby & the Rockits, a show created by their brother Shaun.{{cite news |date=February 1, 2009 |title=Cassidy Brothers' Comedy Among New ABC Family Shows |newspaper=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-abc/cassidy-brothers-comedy-among-new-abc-family-shows-idUSTRE50T1GS20090202 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127134917/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-abc/cassidy-brothers-comedy-among-new-abc-family-shows-idUSTRE50T1GS20090202 |archive-date=January 27, 2022}}{{cite news |date=February 1, 2009 |title=I'm sorry, David Cassidy: You became the obsession of my seventh-grade English class |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/21/im-sorry-david-cassidy-you-became-obsession/887479001/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127160719/https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/21/im-sorry-david-cassidy-you-became-obsession/887479001/ |archive-date=January 27, 2022}} Cassidy was one of the contestants on the fourth season of The Celebrity Apprentice in 2011.{{cite web |url=http://newslivestreaming.com/david-cassidy-celebrity-apprentice-2011-contestant/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312223638/http://newslivestreaming.com/david-cassidy-celebrity-apprentice-2011-contestant/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 12, 2011 |title=newslivestreaming.com |publisher=newslivestreaming.com |access-date=August 25, 2015 }}

As the days of "Cassidymania" subsided, Cassidy regularly addressed fans at his concerts in question-and-answer sessions. In August 2016, Cassidy performed in The Villages, Florida, and brought multiple attendees to the side of the stage, asking and answering questions and engaging with members of the community who had been fans for nearly half a century.{{cite web |date=August 10, 2016 |title=David Cassidy charms fans with tales of Partridge Family days |url=http://www.villages-news.com/david-cassidy-charms-fans-tales-partridge-family-days/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205165330/https://www.villages-news.com/2016/08/09/david-cassidy-charms-fans-tales-partridge-family-days/ |archive-date=February 5, 2022 |access-date=August 24, 2016 |publisher=Villages-News.com}}

Cassidy's first wife was actress Kay Lenz, whom he married on April 3, 1977Nevada, Marriage Index 1956–2005{{cite news |last1=Park |first1=Jeannie |last2=Alexander |first2=Michael |date=November 20, 1989 |title=After Riding a Lifetime of Ups and Downs, Kay Lenz Hits Her Stride with a Role in Midnight Caller |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20115986,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222042141/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20115986,00.html |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |access-date=February 11, 2014 |work=People |volume=32 |issue=21 |quote=...David Cassidy when they married in 1977, just 2½ months after meeting on a blind date.}} and divorced on December 28, 1983.California, Divorce Index 1966–1984{{cite magazine |last=Vespa |first=Mary |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20085003,00.html |title=Now Back Onstage, David Cassidy Has a New Fiancée and a Confession; His Rock Days Were No Picnic |magazine=People |access-date=March 14, 2016 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304102759/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20085003,00.html |url-status=dead }}

Cassidy married his second wife, horse breeder Meryl Tanz, in 1984.{{cite web | url= http://www.filmreference.com/film/61/David-Cassidy.html | title= David Cassidy Biography (1950–) | publisher= FilmReference.com | access-date= February 11, 2014}} They met in 1974 at a horse sale in Lexington, Kentucky. This marriage ended in divorce in 1988.

Cassidy's daughter, actress Katie Cassidy, was born in 1986 from an extramarital affair with fashion model Sherry Williams.{{cite magazine |date= |title=Katie Cassidy: Biography |url=http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/katie-cassidy/bio/249463 |magazine=TVGuide.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319040713/https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/katie-cassidy/bio/3030057649/ |archive-date=March 19, 2022 |access-date=February 11, 2014}} After Cassidy and Williams ended their relationship, Katie was raised by her mother and her stepfather, Richard Benedon. Cassidy spoke of his absence from Katie's life: in February 2017, he said, "I've never had a relationship with her. I wasn't her father. I was her biological father but I didn't raise her. She has a completely different life. I'm proud of her. She's very talented. It's hard for me to even accept how old she is now."{{cite magazine |author=Dugan |first=Christina |date=February 22, 2017 |title=David Cassidy Opens Up About His 'Beautiful' Son – and Why He Doesn't Have a Relationship with His Daughter |url=http://people.com/celebrity/david-cassidy-talks-relationship-son-daughter/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130183645/https://people.com/tag/david-cassidy/ |archive-date=November 30, 2022 |access-date=December 26, 2017 |magazine=People}}

Cassidy married songwriter Sue Shifrin on March 30, 1991. It was Cassidy's third marriage and Shifrin's second marriage. They had one child, Beau,{{cite web |title=David Cassidy & Wife Divorcing |url=https://people.com/crime/david-cassidy-wife-divorcing/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205164249/https://people.com/crime/david-cassidy-wife-divorcing/ |archive-date=February 5, 2022 |access-date=October 4, 2015 |url-status=live |work=People}}{{Cite news |author=Rix |first=Juliet |date=August 17, 2012 |title=David Cassidy: My family values |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/aug/18/david-cassidy-my-family-values |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221016211223/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/aug/18/david-cassidy-my-family-values |archive-date=October 16, 2022 |access-date=October 4, 2015 |newspaper=the Guardian}} in 1991.{{cite news |author=Clary |first1=Mike |last2=Alanez |first2=Tonya |name-list-style=and |date=August 25, 2013 |title=David Cassidy, despite spotlight from recent DWI arrest, known as low-key neighbor in Fort Lauderdale |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2013-08-25/news/fl-david-cassidy-fort-lauderdale-20130825_1_david-cassidy-jo-ann-geffen-the-partridge-family |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223183738/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2013-08-25/news/fl-david-cassidy-fort-lauderdale-20130825_1_david-cassidy-jo-ann-geffen-the-partridge-family |archive-date=February 23, 2014 |access-date=October 20, 2014 |newspaper=Sun-Sentinel}}{{cite news |date=February 11, 2014 |title=David Cassidy Wife files for Divorce |work=TMZ |url=http://www.tmz.com/2014/02/11/david-cassidy-divorce-sue-alcohol-rehab-dui/ |access-date=October 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925091345/https://www.tmz.com/2014/02/11/david-cassidy-divorce-sue-alcohol-rehab-dui/ |archive-date=September 25, 2022}} In August 2013, Cassidy's Los Angeles publicist confirmed that the couple had separated, with Shifrin filing for divorce in February 2014.

Cassidy moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2002.{{cite web |author=South Florida Sun-Sentinel |date=October 2, 2015 |title=David Cassidy charged with I-595 traffic incident |url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-david-cassidy-hit-run-20151002-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131003045/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-david-cassidy-hit-run-20151002-story.html |archive-date=January 31, 2022 |access-date=October 4, 2015 |work=Sun-Sentinel.com}} He filed for bankruptcy in 2015.{{cite web |date=August 26, 2015 |title=David Cassidy says goodbye to 'place of refuge' in Fort Lauderdale |url=http://www.local10.com/entertainment/david-cassidy-says-goodbye-to-place-of-refuge-in-fort-lauderdale/34927694 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516215254/https://www.local10.com/news/2015/08/26/david-cassidy-says-goodbye-to-place-of-refuge-in-fort-lauderdale/ |archive-date=May 16, 2021 |access-date=October 4, 2015 |work=Local10}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-davidcassidy-idUSKCN0R91IX20150909|title=Home of bankrupt ex-teen heartthrob David Cassidy auctioned|newspaper=Reuters|access-date=October 4, 2015|date=September 9, 2015|archive-date=October 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005051040/http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/09/us-people-davidcassidy-idUSKCN0R91IX20150909|url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=David Cassidy Files for Bankruptcy |url=http://www.people.com/article/david-cassidy-files-bankruptcy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316091546/http://www.people.com/article/david-cassidy-files-bankruptcy |archive-date=March 16, 2016 |access-date=October 4, 2015 |work=People}}

In 2011, Cassidy recorded a public service announcement for Alzheimer's disease research and prevention – because his mother, Evelyn Ward, suffered with the condition{{cite web |author=Sollitto, Marlo |title=David Cassidy: Teen Idol to Dementia Caregiver |url=https://www.agingcare.com/articles/david-cassidy-goes-from-teen-idol-to-dementia-caregiver-154023.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150305041357/http://www.people.com/article/david-cassidy-files-bankruptcy |archive-date=March 5, 2015 |access-date=November 27, 2017 |publisher=AgingCare.com}} – and said that he would campaign for that cause whenever possible.{{cite news|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/02/21/david-cassidy-dementia-and-his-tragic-family-history/|title=David Cassidy, dementia and his tragic family history|newspaper=The Mercury News|publisher=Bay Area News Group|author=Ross, Martha|access-date=February 21, 2017|date=February 21, 2017}} He planned to address Congress in 2012.{{cite web |url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111021/ENTERTAIN/110210321/-1/ENTERTAIN08 |title=Time to scream! David Cassidy comes to Lycian Centre |work=Times Herald-Record |date=October 21, 2011 |access-date=November 29, 2011 |archive-date=January 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112052056/http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111021/ENTERTAIN/110210321/-1/ENTERTAIN08 |url-status=dead }}

Cassidy was a long-time registered Democrat. During a 2012 guest appearance on The Colbert Report he expressed his views on the leading Republican candidates for president, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Cassidy stated, "I believe both of them are the most embarrassing, sad, pathetic  ... I mean, really, this is the best we can do?"{{cite web |url =http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/407039/january-26-2012/the-great-available-panel |title=The Great Available Panel: John Harwood, Katrina vanden Heuvel and David Cassidy share their thoughts on Newt Gingrich's sex appeal, Mitt Romney's wealth and Connecticut's tacos |work=The Colbert Report |date=January 26, 2012}}

Cassidy was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) in Florida on November 3, 2010.Martinez, Edecio. (November 4, 2010) [http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20021832-504083.html David Cassidy Arrested: "Partridge Family" Star Accused of Drunk Driving in Fla. – Crimesider] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211072714/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20021832-504083.html |date=February 11, 2011 }}. CBS News. Retrieved on March 27, 2011.

Cassidy was arrested for DUI in Schodack, New York, in the early hours of August 21, 2013.{{cite news |last=Mandell |first=Andrea |date=August 21, 2013 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/08/21/david--cassidy-arrested-for-drunk-driving/2681339/ |title=David Cassidy arrested for drunken driving |newspaper=USA Today |access-date=August 21, 2013}} He was pulled over after failing to dim his headlights as he passed a police car going in the opposite direction. After performing poorly on a field sobriety test, Cassidy was subjected to an alcohol breath test, returning a blood alcohol level of 0.10%, which was above the New York legal limit of 0.08%. The arresting officer, one Tom Jones, reported that Cassidy was polite and courteous; in reference to a 1965 hit song by singer Tom Jones, Cassidy jokingly asked the officer, "What's New, Pussycat?" Cassidy was charged, taken to jail, and released several hours later on $2,500 bail. On May 12, 2015, Cassidy was sentenced to community service, a fine, and a six-month license suspension.{{cite web|url=http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/David-Cassidy-sentenced-without-appearing-in-6258402.php|title=David Cassidy DWI case ends with sentencing|work=Times Union|access-date=October 4, 2015|date=May 12, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/05/david_cassidy_sentenced_upstate_new_york_dwi_case.html|title=David Cassidy sentenced in Upstate New York drunken-driving case|work=syracuse.com|access-date=October 4, 2015|date=May 13, 2015}}

Cassidy was arrested on suspicion of DUI in California on January 10, 2014, after he made an illegal right turn against a red light. He was held overnight in jail,{{cite news |last=Merl |first=Jean |url=http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-david-cassidy-20140111,0,2076506.story#axzz2q8Z6WkH6 |title='70s heartthrob David Cassidy arrested on suspicion of DUI near LAX |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=January 11, 2014}} ordered to undergo inpatient rehabilitation, and placed on probation for five years.{{cite web|url=http://www.tmz.com/2014/03/24/david-cassidy-dui-no-contest-plea-rehab/|title=David Cassidy Ordered Into Rehab After DUI Plea|date=March 24, 2014 |publisher=TMZ|access-date=October 4, 2015}}{{cite news |author=Duke |first=Alan |date=March 24, 2014 |title=David Cassidy gets probation, rehab for DUI conviction |url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/24/showbiz/david-cassidy-dui-plea/ |access-date=October 4, 2015 |work=CNN}}

On September 9, 2015, Cassidy was cited in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on charges of leaving the scene of a car accident, improper lane change, expired plates and driving on a suspended license.{{cite web|url=http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/David-Cassidy-arrested-for-leaving-scene-of-6548186.php|title=David Cassidy arrested for leaving scene of accident|work=Times Union|access-date=October 4, 2015|date=October 3, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-david-cassidy-charged-hit-and-run-foreclosure-auction-20151002-story.html|title=David Cassidy facing hit-and-run charge in crash on the day his home was auctioned|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=October 2, 2015|access-date=October 4, 2015}}

File:David Cassidy.jpg

In 2008, Cassidy publicly admitted he had an alcohol problem.{{cite web|last=Gardinier|first=Bob|title='70s teen star Cassidy meets Officer Tom Jones|url=http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Notable-names-in-DWI-arrest-4749409.php|publisher=TimesUnion.com (Hearst Communications Inc.) |access-date=August 22, 2013|date=August 21, 2013}}

On February 20, 2017, following a performance in Agoura Hills, California, in which Cassidy had difficulty remembering the lyrics of songs he had been performing for nearly 50 years, and appeared to fall off the stage, he announced that he was living with dementia and was retiring from all further performing.{{cite news|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/music/david-cassidy-partridge-family-star-reveals-he-has-dementia-n723476|title=Former teen heartthrob David Cassidy reveals dementia, quits touring|work=NBC News}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/david-cassidy-reveals-dementia-article-1.2977647|title=David Cassidy reveals he has dementia|newspaper=NY Daily News|access-date=February 21, 2017|language=en}} He said that his mother and grandfather had also suffered from dementia at the end of their lives, and that "I was in denial, but a part of me always knew this was coming."

Later in 2017, Cassidy fell ill at a recording studio and was hospitalized. In a later phone conversation with an A&E producer, he stated that he had just met with his doctor, that he had liver disease, and that his life had "changed dramatically." Cassidy added that he had been unconscious and near death for the first few days after the incident, but that his memory had returned. Cassidy also acknowledged that there was "no sign of [dementia] at this stage of [his] life," adding that "[it] was complete alcohol poisoning—and the fact is, I lied about my drinking." Cassidy said, "You know, I did it to myself, man. I did it to myself to cover up the sadness and the emptiness."{{cite news |last=Helling |first=Steve |title=David Cassidy's Shocking Confession Before His Death: He Was Still Drinking and Never Had Dementia |url=https://people.com/tv/david-cassidys-never-had-dementia/ |work=People |date=June 6, 2018 |access-date=June 6, 2018}} Cassidy had told his family and others that he had given up drinking.

On November 18, 2017, Cassidy was hospitalized with liver and kidney failure, and was critically ill in a medically induced coma.{{Cite news |url=http://metro.co.uk/2017/11/18/david-cassidy-in-a-coma-in-critical-condition-after-being-rushed-to-hospital-7089993/ |title=David Cassidy in 'critical condition' with organ failure |last=Starkey |first=Adam |date=November 18, 2017 |work=Metro |access-date=November 18, 2017}} He came out of the coma two days later, remaining in critical but stable condition.{{cite news|url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/florida/fl-david-cassidy-hospital-florida-20171118-story.html|title=David Cassidy 'critical but stable' in Fort Lauderdale-area hospital with multiple organ failure|newspaper=Sun-Sentinel|first=Brian|last=Ballou|agency=Associated Press|date=November 18, 2017|access-date=March 31, 2020}} Doctors hoped to keep Cassidy stable until a liver became available for transplant, but he died of liver failure on November 21, 2017, at the age of 67.{{Cite news|url=https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/11/21/obituaries/david-cassidy-dead.html?_r=0&referer=|title=David Cassidy, Heartthrob and 'Partridge Family' Star, Dies at 67|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 21, 2017|last1=Fortin|first1=Jacey}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/david-cassidy-1970s-teen-idol-has-died-n822426|title=David Cassidy, 1970s teen idol, has died at 67|last=Chuck|first=Elizabeth|date=November 21, 2017|work=NBC News|access-date=November 21, 2017}} According to his daughter, Katie Cassidy, his final words were "So much wasted time."{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/katie-cassidy-shares-father-davids-last-words-wasted-time-1061383|title=Katie Cassidy Shares Father David's Last Words: 'So Much Wasted Time'|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=November 25, 2017|access-date=December 16, 2020}}

In 1994, Cassidy, in collaboration with Chip Deffaa, wrote his autobiography C'mon, Get Happy ... Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus. In December 2019, C'mon, Get Happy was published as an E-book (by Open Road Media, {{ISBN|0446395315}}) with a new afterword by Chip Deffaa, covering the rest of Cassidy's life.

Cassidy also wrote a memoir, Could It Be Forever? My Story, published in the United Kingdom in March 2007, which gives further details about his personal life.{{cite web|last=Walls |first=Jeannette |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/britney-spears-has-whole-rehab-wing-herself-wbna17031911 |title=Britney Spears has whole rehab wing to herself |publisher=TODAY Entertainment |date= March 7, 2007|access-date=October 14, 2010}}

{{Main|David Cassidy discography}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://www.davidcassidy.com/ David Cassidy's official web site]
• {{AllMusic|artist/david-cassidy-mn0000532487}}
• {{IMDb name|144180}}
• {{tcmdb name|id=797124{{!}}0|name=David Cassidy}}
• {{IBDB name}}
• The [http://archiveshub.ac.uk/data/gb71-thm/378 David Cassidy Collection] is held by the Victoria and Albert Museum Theatre and Performance Department.

{{David Cassidy}}

{{The Partridge Family|state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cassidy, David}}

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