What Happened When Susan Dey Confessed Her Feelings to David Cassidy
What To Know
- Susan Dey developed romantic feelings for David Cassidy, but he did not reciprocate.
- He admitted in his autobiography that he saw her more as a sister, which broke her heart.
- Despite their painful history and a permanent rift caused by Cassidy’s memoir, Dey joined Cassidy’s family in mourning after his death.
In addition to being a ratings hit during its initial run, the fictional Partridge Family produced a series of real-life musical chart-toppers, including the biggest hit song of 1970 in the United States, “I Think I Love You.” All of this was undoubtedly exciting for Susan Dey, who had won the part of Laurie Partridge despite having no prior acting experience. Even more exciting, however, was the bond she seemed to be forming with her The Partridge Family co-star, David Cassidy.
The two became great friends and truly enjoyed spending time with each other — talking, goofing off, telling jokes, and doing a whole lot of nothing. After a while, Dey started to wonder if their relationship could blossom into something more. The Partridge Family had made both of them massive stars, and they worked together on the show effortlessly. Slowly but surely, Dey fell for Cassidy, and there came a point when she needed to know if her feelings could be reciprocated.
Everett Collection
Cassidy discussed that moment in his autobiography, Come On, Get Happy. He said that although Dey was “hopelessly in love with him”, it was when Dey started pouring out her heart to him that he knew their friendship was doomed. Cassidy stated that he saw her more as a sister than a lover. He went on to say that her wholesome looks “did not work” for him.
Writing for Woman’s World, Ed Gross wrote that Shirley Jones said in her memoir that Cassidy, “…didn’t reciprocate her feelings. He didn’t treat her well during that time, and it broke her heart.”
As the years passed, Cassidy’s star lost a bit of its luster. While he made numerous guest appearances on various television shows afterward, he was unable to find another starring vehicle that lasted beyond a handful of episodes.
Meanwhile, Dey found immense success as Grace Van Owen on L.A. Law, which ran from 1986 to 1992. During the show’s first six seasons, Dey was nominated for an Emmy three times and a Golden Globe six times; she eventually took home a Golden Globe Award in 1988.
MTV/courtesy Everett Collection
Throughout it all, Dey kept her eyes firmly looking forward. It was clear that she did not want to live in the past. Perhaps, because of that, she did not attend all of the Partridge Family reunion events the way the rest of the gang did. However, both Dey and Cassidy seemed to have put bygones behind them and were all smiles when they appeared together at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards.
When Cassidy’s autobiography was released four years later, Dey declined to comment on the details Cassidy shared regarding their painful history. In a 2000 interview with Scott Pierce, TV critic for the Deseret News, Cassidy acknowledged that, despite sending an apology letter, his comments in his memoir appeared to have caused a permanent break between the two.
Sadly, when Cassidy passed away in late 2017 from liver failure, Dey set her feelings aside to mourn along with everyone else. The tweet below came from Cassidy’s nephew, Jack, providing evidence that Dey spent time with Cassidy’s family, remembering the good times and celebrating his life.
Remind 
1972
January 2022
1972 was a year packed with everything from “American Pie” to Ziggy Stardust What’s not to love?
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