Thanks very much for this, Tallguy. I can’t help wishing he had made some
recordings in the sixties, lol. I always enjoyed listening to the Partridge
Family, and I would have loved to do a success story on him. I wondered
whether he might be suffering from a form of dementia called Pick’s disease, in
which you can often become disoriented, and experience episodes of not knowing
who or where you are. I guess it’s early onset Alzheimer’s that he has,
though. Devon.
From: ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On ;
Behalf Of Tallguy (Redacted sender "tallguy403" for DMARC)
Sent: February-23-17 9:13 PM
To: ourplace@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ourplace] Re: David Cassody says he has dimentia
David Cassidy reveals he has dementia
Published February 23. 2017 8:26AM
Travis M. Andrews, The Washington Post
David Cassidy, best known as the well-coiffed heartthrob who starred in the
1970s series "The Partridge Family," watched his family members succumb one by
one to dementia.
First, his grandfather slowly lost his mind to the disease.
Then his mother, the Broadway and television actress Evelyn Ward who Cassidy
once said "basically raised me for years on her own," was diagnosed with
Alzheimer's around 2002. Eight years later, Cassidy said she "can't walk, can't
talk and lives in a nappy."
In 2012, Ward died at 89 years old "after suffering from Alzheimer's-related
dementia," according to the Hollywood Reporter.
"In the end, the only way I knew she recognized me is with one single tear that
would drop from her eye every time I walked into the room," Cassidy told
People. "I feared I would end up that way."
Just before Ward's death, Cassidy became an advocate for those with
Alzheimer's, speaking at nationwide engagements for Alzheimer's and dementia
organizations and shooting public service announcements.
"People don't really want to talk about it, but we need to, which is why I'm
going to be speaking publicly about it," Cassidy told the Daily Mail.
Now, one of Cassidy's biggest fears has come to fruition. In an interview with
People magazine published on Monday, he announced that at 66 years old, he is
suffering from dementia.
"I was in denial, but a part of me always knew this was coming," Cassidy told
People.
At the end of 2017, Cassidy, who has spent the past several years touring the
world and playing solo songs alongside tunes from "The Partridge Family," has
decided to quit playing live shows to focus on his health.
"I want to focus on what I am, who I am and how I've been without any
distractions," he told People. "I want to love. I want to enjoy life."
As he wrote on his website:
"I will always be eternally grateful for the love and support you've shown me.
I still love very much to play and perform live. But it's much more difficult
for me now.
"I'm not going to vanish or disappear forever. I'll be able to communicate much
more through my website and my Facebook page. As you can imagine this has been
truthfully THE MOST DIFFICULT DECISION I HAVE EVER MADE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.
"I'm eternally grateful to each and every single one of you.
I'm going to play live, everywhere around North America, through 2017. I hope
you will find a way to come and be part of my celebration!"
The revelation comes after a disastrous weekend show in Agoura Hills, Calif.,
during which Cassidy couldn't remember the lyrics to many of his older songs.
In videos from the show obtained by TMZ, Cassidy appears to slur his words and
falls off the stage. He attributed the problems to his burgeoning dementia.
Sadly for the former teen idol, this is the latest in a string of life's
unfortunate curveballs.
The child star has spent much of his middle age battling alcoholism, much like
his father, actor Jack Cassidy. From 2010 to 2014, he was arrested three times
for driving while intoxicated. The final two arrests came within six months of
each other, finally leading him to rehab in South Florida.
A month after this last arrest, his third wife Sue Shifrin-Cassidy filed for
divorce, according to TMZ. In an interview with Piers Morgan, Cassidy
attributed the divorce in some part to his drinking.
"If I take another drink, I'm going to die, physically, mentally, emotionally,
spiritually. I'm dead . . . It's very humbling and it's also humiliating," he
told Morgan, before adding that admitting to his disease gave him some hope.
