DAVID CASSIDY,
1950-2017

David Cassidy, the actor and teen idol known for playing Keith Partridge on the 1970s TV series The Partridge Family, died Tuesday of liver failure. He was 67.

Cassidy sang fictional The Partridge Family hits such as “I Think I Love You,” a #1 record in 1970 on the Bell label, “I Woke Up in Love This Morning” and “Doesn’t Somebody Want to be Wanted.” The series ran from 1970 to 1974 during which time they released seven albums, the first three of which went Top 10.

Cassidy’s arrival occurred between Bobby Sherman and Donny Osmond, two other telegenic singers who worked in television and on record.

Cassidy’s father was the actor Jack Cassidy; Shirley Jones, who played Partridge Family matriarch Shirley, was his stepmother.

He made guest appearances on other series in the ’69-’70 season, and started recording as a solo artist in 1972; his first single, “Cherish,” was his biggest hit. That year, he also headlined at Madison Square Garden. He recorded four albums for Bell before moving to RCA for three more—all released by 1976—and his popularity soared in the U.K.

His second act was a career in musical theater, most notably in Blood Brothers and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He also starred in the Las Vegas show EFX in the 1990s.

Cassidy stopped performing earlier this year after announcing he had been diagnosed with dementia. In addition, arthritis made playing guitar tough.