David Cassidy, who came to fame as a ’70s teen heartthrob and lead singer on The Partridge Family, has died.
Cassidy was recently been admitted to the intensive care unit of a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, area hospital and was in critical condition and suffering from organ failure before his death.
Cassidy was born into the entertainment industry as his father was actor and singer Jack Cassidy, and his mother was actress Evelyn Ward.
The Partridge Family, was a sitcom about a mother and five children who formed a rock ‘n’ roll band, gave Cassidy a national audience for his music. After his parents split in 1956, the elder Cassidy married actress and singer Shirley Jones the same year.
The single I Think I Love You, with Cassidy on lead vocals, hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1970 and sold more than 5 million copies. The songs Doesn’t Somebody Want To Be Wanted and I’ll Meet You Halfway also landed in top 10 the next year.
Cassidy released a autobiography, Could It Be Forever? My Story, in 2007, writing about the pitfalls of fame and his failed first two marriages.
In 2017, Cassidy revealed that he was in the early stages of dementia, the same disease his mother and grandfather suffered from. Cassidy told CNN in a 2012 interview,
“To watch someone who raised you lose their mind and disappear is arguably the most painful thing I have ever experienced.“
As for a career highlight Cassidy remembered fondly, he described the roar of a crowd that included his family at a 1972 performance at Madison Square Garden.In 2014 he said,
“It was so emotional for me. I was so blessed to have that moment with them. It’s the highlight of my life.“
David Cassidy was 67.

Photo, Annie Liebovitz

Polaroid by Andy Warhol
(via CNN)