Find out everything there is to know about David Cassidy the singer, songwriter, and actor, including his illness, net worth and family life!

Who is David Cassidy?

David Bruce Cassidy was born April 12, 1950, in New York City. His parents were famous for their own rights. Cassidy’s father, Jack Cassidy was an actor and his mother, Evelyn Ward was an actress. Because his parents were frequently touring and working, Cassidy was raised by his maternal grandparents in the city of West Orange, New Jersey. At the young age of 6, Cassidy found out that his parents were divorced from a friend. Cassidy’s parents did not tell him because they thought he was too young to understand. In that same year, the elder Cassidy married Shirley Jones and had three further children. After high school at the age of 18, Cassidy moved to Irvington, New York where he began pursuing an acting career while working a part-time job. Within his lifetime Cassidy became an actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist.

What’s His Net Worth?

David Cassidy has a net worth of about $500,000 at the time of his death. This net worth is due to his many appearances on television shows, concert performances, as well as Broadway musicals and shows such as “Celebrity Apprentice.” The majority of Cassidy’s net worth comes from his work on The Partridge Family television show and albums. By the end of the 1970s Cassidy claimed that in spite of being wildly successful in the previous years and having a net worth well into the millions, that he was financial bereft and broke but he continued to build his net worth throughout his life, often times losing large amounts of money rather quickly due to an admitted drinking problem. In 2015 Cassidy filed for bankruptcy after he had run through all of his net worth and lost most of his financial status.

Career & Accomplishments

The Partridge Family

Before his debut in 1970 on The Partridge Family series, Cassidy got his first professional acting job as a member of the Broadway Musical “The Fig Leaves Are Falling.” The show made four performances and it was during his performance that Cassidy was discovered by a casting director. Cassidy signed with Universal Studios in 1960 and had several guest appearances in television shows with the network, including Marcus Welby, M.D., Bonanza, and Ironside. Although he was experiencing some success as a show feature with Universal Studios, Cassidy really hit it big when he won the role of Keith Partridge on The Partridge Family. Cassidy’s on screen mother was actually his step mother in real life, Shirley Jones. While the producers were not concerned with whether Cassidy could sing or not when they signed him, within a short amount of time Cassidy had convinced the producers that his singing was good enough to be promoted to lead singer for the show’s musical recordings.

Musical Career

While The Partridge Family definitely increased his net worth, working on the show’s musical productions also increased not only Cassidy’s net worth but also his standing as a singer. In 1970 the Partridge Family pop group released the runaway hit “I think I Love You” with Cassidy in the forefront. The single skyrocketed to the Billboard Hot 100 that year. Cassidy smartly rode the musical wave to produce his own single which was a cover of “Cherish” by The Association. “Cherish” topped the UK charts for weeks. This rapid success solidified Cassidy as a major contender in the musical arena with hits like “Daydreamer” and “How Can I Be Sure”. Cassidy is thought of along the lines of Mick Jagger in British culture, with chart-topping albums well into the 1970s. Cassidy became a household name more widely known than the actual television show that made Cassidy famous and established the majority of his net worth. In 1974, Cassidy and his fans suffered a tremendous tragedy when a stampede at Cassidy’s live concert in May of that year resulted in the death of one teenage girl, and the hospitalization of more than thirty fans. Unfortunately, the death of 14-year-old Bernadette Whelan deeply affected Cassidy who ultimately decided to quit both The Partridge Family and his musical tour altogether. Though Cassidy quit touring, Cassidy did so with the intent of focusing on the songwriting and recording portion of his career.

Emmy Recognition

In 1978 Cassidy was nominated for an Emmy Award for his role in one episode of “Policy Story.

Family & Personal Life

Marriages & Children

Cassidy was first married to actress Kay Lenz in 1977. Their marriage lasted 6 years and the two were divorced in 1983. Cassidy didn’t remain single long and married his second wife, Meryl Tanz in 1984. The two divorced in 1985. Cassidy’s tied the knot to his third wife, Sue Shifrin in 1991 though the couple divorced in February 2014. Cassidy had his first child, a daughter, with actress Sherry Williams. Katie Cassidy was born in 1986 and is Cassidy’s only daughter. Cassidy also fathered a son with his third wife, Beau Cassidy, in 1991.

Dementia & Illness

In February of 2017 it was announced that after years of alcoholic abuse, David Cassidy was suffering from Dementia, a disease that his mother also suffered from. He retired from performing once the condition progressed to the place where he was forgetting the words during performances. In mid-November of that same year, Cassidy, who had been hospitalized due to liver and kidney failure, died in the hospital waiting for a liver transplant to become available. According to his daughter, Katie, Cassidy’s unfortunate last words were “so much wasted time.”

A Life Worth Remembering

David Cassidy touched his fans in a way not many in today’s acting and musical worlds can. He will be missed by many and remembered by even more.