David Cassidy, the popular teen heartthrob who found fame in television and music throughout the 1970's, passed away on November 21st due to complications from dementia. Playing Keith Partridge for four seasons on the musical-comedy series, "The Partridge Family" along with his step-mother at the time, Shirley Jones (who played his mother on the show), Cassidy was able to take the music from this fictional music family and turn it in to real-life pop hits with The Partridge Family's biggest song being "I Think I Love You" which went to number one in the U.S. and sold over five million copies.
Cassidy was born in New York City to actors Jack Cassidy and Evelyn Ward so it's hardly a surprise that David eventually found himself drawn in to the family business. He made his professional acting debut in the failed 1969 Broadway musical, "The Fig Leaves Are Falling" but a casting director, after seeing the show, saw his potential and had him come to Hollywood. Cassidy made guest appearances on several television shows before he was cast on "The Partridge Family" in 1970. After he had some pop music success from the show, Cassidy went to work on a solo album and had his own hit with a cover of The Association's, "Cherish" in 1972. While he wanted to seen as a serious rock musician, the baggage from the show and his teen idol image made it difficult for people to separate fact from fiction.
By the time the show ended it's run in 1974, Cassidy's popularity cooled in America but he remained a major draw internationally. While on tour, a tragic event occurred when a fourteen year old girl was killed during a stampede to the stage at one of his London concerts in 1974. This tragedy along with the intense pressure of fame caused Cassidy to decide to take a hiatus from touring and acting to focus on songwriting and recording. However, by the 1980's, Cassidy found himself broke despite still having a lucrative career throughout much of the world.
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