David Cassidy Has Died

This one is going to hurt pretty hard for a whole lot of former teen girls of the 70s who used to wish hard on their favorite mood rings at night that they might get asked to the prom by Keith Partridge. A few days after he was rushed to a Ft. Lauderdale, Florida hospital due to organ failure, David Cassidy has died at the age of 67.

David’s family confirmed the news to People magazine with the following statement:

“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. 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.”

When David was 18, he moved in with his dad Jack Cassidy and his stepmom, Shirley Jones, to pursue a career in acting and music. A year after that, he moved to Los Angeles, and a year after that he took the role of Keith Partridge on ABC’s The Partridge Family. David Cassidy (backed by The Partridge Family) released “I Think I Love You” in 1970, and it was a massive hit. Pair that with the fact that David Cassidy was hot, and he became a huge teen idol.

Not only was The Partridge Family pretty big, David’s solo career really took off, which was dubbed “Cassidymania.” I guess to put it into perspective for today’s teens, he was kind of like Justin Bieber plus BTS and a Shawn Mendes. He also tried to shed his bubblegum pop image by posing nude on the cover of Rolling Stone. Something tells me that was probably a highly shoplifted issue that month. In 1974 he quit The Partridge Family and officially went solo.

David continued to work and perform in the 80s and 90s. About ten years ago, David got real and talked about his booze problems, like getting pulled over for numerous DUI’s. At the time of his death, he needed a new liver and kidney. Earlier this year, David admitted he was living with non-Alzheimer’s dementia and had decided to retire from performing.

He is survived by his son Beau Cassidy and his daughter, Arrow actress Katie Cassidy, as well as his half-brothers Shaun, Patrick, and Ryan.

At the height of his fame, David Cassidy’s fan club reportedly had more members than that of Elvis Presley and The Beatles combined. I’m technically too young to have understood the insane popularity of David Cassidy, but I sort of get it. I used to get up super early to watch both The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family every morning before school, and I knew that David Cassidy was way hotter than Greg Brady. I’m going to leave with David and Co. performing “I Woke Up In Love This Morning,” because it’s just a good song. But also because it reminds me about how cool David made it seem to be in a band with your family. Realistically, a dude David’s age would probably cringe hard at the lame idea of playing in a band with his mom and younger siblings while wearing matching velvet costumes, but David really sold it.

Rest in peace, David.

Pic: ABC