Rest in peace, David Cassidy

David Cassidy died last Nov. 21. He was 67 years old. The former teen idol announced his retirement early this year after he was diagnosed with non-alzheimer’s dementia. He also suffered from mononucleosis. He was taken to the hospital last week for liver and kidney failure and placed in a medically induced coma with the hope that a liver donor might be found on time. This did not happen and Cassidy breathed his last on Tuesday while surrounded by his family. 

I am sure that this piece of news has opened floodgates of memories for those of you out there who grew up during the ‘70s. The early years of the decade saw the birth of flower power, the emergence of hard rock music and the renewed interest in folk songs. The Beatles had disbanded and Woodstock had changed the sound of pop music.

The hot new bands were the Rolling Stones, Simon & Garfunkel, the Guess Who and the Jackson Five. Then there on the other side of the divide was the Partridge Family with its frontman of the wholesome demeanor and beautiful androgynous looks. And that was David Cassidy of the teasing half-smile and shaggy haircut playing Keith Partridge.  

David was the son of husband and wife singers and actors Jack Cassidy and Evelyn Ward. He was 20 years old when he decided to try acting. One of the scripts that came his way was that of The Partridge Family TV series which read like a sitcom that could have come out of the ‘50s. It was about an idealized version of an American family, the members of which happen to be pop singers.

David was probably thinking of something else for his big break in a TV series but he was an actor who needed to work.  Besides, set to play his mother in the series was his real-life stepmother, the singer and Academy Award winning actress Shirley Jones. Shirley is the mother of David’s half brothers, Shaun, who also became a big pop idol, Patrick and Ryan.

The Partridge Family became a huge success and lasted for five seasons. And since the series was about singers, its soundtrack albums also became big hits. Jones and Cassidy were the only members of the cast to do their actual singing for the show and the albums. It was through this that Cassidy was launched as a pop idol. By the time The Partridge Family went off the air, the show had already sold over 6.5 million albums.

Cassidy’s looks combined with the popularity of the series and the hit soundtrack albums turned him into the one of the biggest stars of the time. His success marked the return of the solo idol after years of bands and singing groups like the Beatles and the Monkees. Cassidy performed before young girls, who, mostly tearful and screaming or even hysterical packed arenas all over the world just to watch him live. His mug was in all the fan magazines, plus posters, notebooks, pens, books, even lunch boxes and lots of album covers. 

Just like what usually happens in these cases, the success did not last and Cassidy was soon going from one show after another unable to get out of the teen idol rut. He had a difficult life but for some years he delighted millions simply by being a star.

For an idea about the sort of music created for the show and later for Cassidy as a solo act, you can check out the hit compilation, The Definitive Collection by David Cassidy and the Partridge Family. Thankfully, it is available online and I am sure that a lot of his fans, who are now all grown up are now doing their reminiscing of those swoony years with the help of iTunes and Spotify.

Included in the album are I Think I Love You, I’ll Meet You Halfway, I Woke Up In Love This Morning, Doesn’t Somebody Want To Be Wanted? Point Me In The Direction of Albuquerque and Walking In The Rain. There are cuts featuring just the Partridge Family led by Shirley Jones, Am I Losing You, Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, Looking Through The Eyes Of Love and A Friend And A Lover. 

And then there are the solo tunes by David, Cherish, It’s One Of Those Nights, I Am A Clown, Could It Be Forever, How Can I Be Sure, Rock Me Baby, Daydreamer, If I Didn’t Care, Some Kind Of A Summer and Please Please Me.