“The Partridge Family” star and ’70s heartthrob David Cassidy died on Tuesday after being placed into a medically-induced coma. He was 67.
Cassidy was admitted to a Florida hospital last week and his condition quickly worsened. His organs began to shut down and he was in dire need of a liver transplant.
“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 JoAnn Geffen said in a statement to TheWrap Tuesday evening. “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.”
Cassidy made public his battle with dementia in February and announced he would end his musical tour to concentrate on his health. He told People Magazine that his mother and grandfather had also suffered from the degenerative brain disease. Fearful that he’d succumb to the disease like his mother did, Cassidy appeared on “Dr. Phil” and told his son, “I want you to promise me you’ll find a way to let me go and don’t let me live like that.”
Cassidy’s parents, actor Jack Cassidy and actress Evelyn Ward, divorced when he was six and his father married actress Shirley Jones, who went on to become his TV mom on the ’70s hit sitcom “The Partridge Family,” which was about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a musical career.
“The Partridge Family” released 10 albums — their “I Think I Love You” became a huge hit — and Cassidy began working on solo albums as well. His single “Cherish” reached No. 9 in the U.S., No. 2 in the U.K., and No. 1 in Australia and New Zealand, propelling him to the ranks of teen idol.
After taking the lead in the original 1982 Broadway production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and “Blood Brothers,” Cassidy hosted the VH-1 show “8-Track Flashback” for three years and wrote and appeared in the Las Vegas show “At the Copa” with Sheena Easton. And, in 2011, he was the first to hear “You’re fired!” from Donald Trump when he was a contestant on “Celebrity Apprentice.”
Cassidy’s life is detailed in his 2007 memoir, “Could It Be Forever? My Story.”