(CelebrityAccess) — Actor, musician and former teen heartthrob David Cassidy passed away on November 21st while being treated for multiple organ failures. He was 67.
Cassidy's death was announced in a post to his official website:
It is with great sadness that I post this message.
David Cassidy has meant so much to so many people.
David was an iconic teen idol in the 70’s and he maintained a career spanning movies, theatre, music, writing, directing. His multi-generational connection to so many people from all walks of life, from all around the world will be felt today.
Despite being a star, he was kind-hearted, thoughtful and considerate of others.
He will be greatly missed.
Cassidy was best known for his portrayal of Keith Partridge in the popular ABC sitcom,"The Patridge Family" which ran from 1970 to 1974. In the show, in which featured the comedic adventures of the musical Partridge family, was loosely based on the real-life Cowsills, and vaulted David Cassidy into the limelight as a teen heartthrob.
The show also helped to launch Cassidy's recording career, with Patridge family recording ten albums. The albums were commercial successes with most selling more than a million copies each, and Cassidy proved to be a major draw during concert tours in support of the albums, sparking a frenzy that the press dubbed 'Cassidymania.'
Cassidy also started a solo recording career in the 1970s, releasing 5 albums while still a part of the Partridge Family, including "Cherish" (1972) which peaked at #15 on the US charts and "Dreams are Nuthin' More than Wishes" (1973).
Cassidy remained in the limelight through the 1980s and 1990s, continuing to record, but failing to resonate with the success of his earlier recordings, but he returned to the top 40 with his 1990 single "Lyin' to Myself" and again in 1998 when his "No Bridge I Wouldn't Cross" landed on the adult contemporary chart.
He also continued to act, appearing in theatrical productions including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Time and Blood Brothers. In 2000, he co-wrote and performed in the musical 'At the Copa' with Sheena Easton, playing two different versions of the character Johnny Flamingo.
Cassidy battled an addiction to alcohol and was arrested on suspicion of DUI on several occasions, most recently in 2014 in Florida.
Last February, he revealed that he was suffering from dementia and retired from performing after a Los Angeles performance where he was unable to remember lyrics and fell from the stage.
He is survived by his son, Beau, a musician; his daughter, Katie, an actress; Ms. Jones, his stepmother; and three half-brothers: Shaun, Patrick, and Ryan.
