8 Things You Didn’t Know About David Cassidy
C’mon, get happy! Musician and actor David Cassidy, who died seven years ago on Nov. 21, 2017, at age 67 from organ failure, was one of the great teen idols of the 1970s; his role as Keith Partridge, the hunky teen star of the Partridge Family band in The Partridge Family, catapulted him to fame and, for a while, a hugely successful solo music career.
Born April 12, 1950, Cassidy was raised primarily by his maternal grandparents in West Orange, New Jersey, after being born to singer and actor Jack Cassidy and actress Evelyn Ward, who divorced when he was young. His father eventually married Shirley Jones, who would star as Cassidy’s mother on The Partridge Family. The show raised Jones’ profile, and helped Susan Dey develop a long-lasting career that included a starring role on L.A. Law. But Cassidy was the biggest star to come out of the show, with chart toppers such as “I Think I Love You” and “Cherish.”
Gene Trindl/TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection
Though Cassidy’s time at the top of the charts didn’t last forever, his fans remained by his side until the end — he was still performing until shortly before his death. He had been married three times and had two kids, Katie and Beau Cassidy.
Here are some facts you probably didn’t know about the daydreamer himself.
1He had the biggest fan club in pop history
At the peak of his music career in the 1970s, Cassidy’s fan club was the largest in pop history — even larger than those who had shrieked their heads off for Elvis Presley and the Beatles in the previous decades. In fact, a gate stampede at a 1974 show at London’s White City Stadium caused injury to nearly 800 people at the front of the stage. Thirty people were taken to the hospital, and a 14-year-old girl died four days later.
2He had three half brothers (two of whom are also in showbiz)
Brad Elterman/Getty
Cassidy’s father and Shirley Jones had three children after their marriage: Shaun, a teen pop star in his own right who also starred in The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries and turned Hollywood writer plus producer; Patrick, a theater actor who also played Lana Lang’s dad on Smallville; and Ryan.
3He lost most of his Partridge Family memorabilia in a 1994 earthquake
“I had the stuff in a big box that was crushed. I think even the lunch box is a goner,” he said about the event.
4He had an eye operation at the age of 11
Everett Collection
As a child, Cassidy had surgery on his left optical nerve, which was wrapped around a blood vessel; this sometimes caused his eye to appear “lazy” when he was tired. This wasn’t the only operation the star had. He had been suffering from stomach pains since the age of 14, and at 21 had his gallbladder removed in an emergency surgery.
5He had his own police drama … which inspired another, more successful police drama
Columbia Pictures TV/courtesy Everett Collection
In 1978, Cassidy appeared in his own police drama, David Cassidy: Man Undercover. In it, Cassidy played a police officer who goes undercover in a local high school to bust up a drug ring. The show only lasted one season … but if that premise sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone; the show is widely believed to have inspired 21 Jump Street.
6He was on The Celebrity Apprentice in 2011
Virginia Sherwood/NBC
Cassidy was on Season 11 of the reality competition series, which also included Meat Loaf, Mark McGrath, Lil’ Jon, Star Jones, Dionne Warwick, Gary Busey and NeNe Leakes, for a total of one week before he got “fired.” In an interview with The Las Vegas Sun, he agreed that he was not cut out to win this contest. “I’m a really good team player,” he said. “That’s what it takes to work in the theater. That’s what it takes to work in a band with musicians and writers. I’m not a competitive guy with the team I’m working with, but that’s the game. So once you realize that it’s a contest, it’s a whole different mindset. Do I want to try to stab this guy in the back? That’s not me. I’m not that guy.”
7He’s a published author
In 1994, he and Chip Deffaa wrote his autobiography, C’Mon, Get Happy … Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus. In 2007, he penned a follow-up memoir, titled Could It Be Forever? My Story, which touched on his later life.
8His last Hollywood role was on CSI
Cassidy played a character named Peter Coe on a 2013 episode of CSI, the original show in the franchise.
Remind 
1972
January 2022
1972 was a year packed with everything from “American Pie” to Ziggy Stardust What’s not to love?
Buy This Issue