David cassidy, 'partridge family' star & teen idol, dies at 67

[Music] the former teen heartthrob and star of The Partridge Family was hospitalized for multiple organ failure on Saturday David Cassidy the former teen heartthrob best known for his role on the 1970s musical series The Partridge Family died on Tuesday November 21 at age 67 following a recent hospitalization for multiple organ failure the actor and singer rose to fame on the light family drama that also made stars out of Danny Bono Jason Susan day then parlayed his popularity into a career as a teen idol and successful if short-lived recording artist The Hollywood Reporter confirmed his passing but his cause of death has not yet been revealed on behalf of the entire Cassidy family it is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father our uncle and our dear brother David Cassidy his Rep Joanne Geffen said in a statement given to The Hollywood Reporter David died surrounded by those he loved with joy in his heart and free from the pain that had gripped him for so long thank you for the abundance and support you have shown him these many years Bruce David Cassidy was born on April 12th 1950 in New York City into a show business family and father Broadway singer and actor Jack Cassidy and actress Evelyn Ward after his parents divorce Cassidy's father married actress Shirley Jones who would go on to play his mother on the Partridge Family following his parents footsteps a young Cassidy made his debut in 1969 in the short-lived Broadway musical the fig leaves are falling which was seen by a casting agent who helped the budding star and roles on a number of popular TV series including Ironside adam-12 and bonanza but it was his iconic role as Keith Partridge son of Shirley Partridge stepmother Jones that rocketed Cassidy to stardom when the show hit screens in 1970 the show centered around a singing family act from California based on cult family band The Cowsills who with the aid of their irascible manager Reuben Kincaid score a top 40 hit and then go on the road in their signature colorful school bus to play shows and engage in various wacky adventures with Cassidy as its lead singer the fake band scored a real hit with their debut bubblegum confection I think I love you which hit no.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1970 like many teen idols who eventually grow weary of the screaming and crushing adulation of their breathless fans aka Cassidy mania Cassidy grew tired of his Tiger Beat Fame and began to rebel against his Partridge Family characters squeaky-clean image which appeared on hundreds of licensed items from lunchboxes and posters to cereal boxes comic books and toys his break from that fresh scrubbed image began with a nearly nude Annie Leibowitz at Rolling Stone cover in 1972 in which the writer notes that the singer is being shuttled around his hometown high and drunk to put it in perspective according to his official bio during his run on the show membership in Cassidy's official fan club exceeded that of Elvis Presley and the Beatles in 1972 Cassidy also released his cover of cherish the 1966 hit by the association from his debut album of the same name on Bell Records the singer went on to release hen Partridge albums and five solo efforts while touring to sold-out crowds through the mid-1970s feeling besieged by the attention of his female admirers Cassidy quit the show which ended its run in 1974 after 96 episodes and focused on recording a string of well-received albums for RCA records including 1975 the higher they climb in 1976 s home is where the heart is landing a hit in 1975 with I write songs a track that would go on to become Barry Manilow's signature track by the end of the decade though his musical career waned along with his musical output aside from a brief blip in 1985 when the George Michael assisted single the last kiss gave Cassidy a top 40 hit in Europe his final album was 1998 the old trick knew doggone slamma-jamma records which featured a number of portrait remakes after hanging up on music Cassidy starred in the short-lived 1978 police drama David Cassidy man lambda cover which bombed but was essentially the blueprint for the later hit show 21 Jump Street the singer turned to Theatre in the 1980s Tori with a variety of musical productions and in the late-1990s and early-2000s he joined the Las Vegas show zfx and at the Copa the thrice-married star continued touring until announcing his retirement in February at which time he revealed he was suffering from non Alzheimer's dementia through ups and downs including well-documented struggles with alcohol in a series of DUI arrests in the 2000s Cassidy maintained the kind of sunny demeanor that had endeared him to a generation of fans I'm an optimist I mean you have to be with my career he said in his official bio I've never gone out and changed my style to suit the times I have always stayed true to myself by using a work ethic my father instilled in me to strive for the best musically theatrically as well as in producing and writing he taught me to be fearless about revealing the frailties and strengths of the human experience bringing that human element to my work is the most important thing I can do as an entertainer [Music]