David Cassidy was an actor and musician who was catapulted to heartthrob status via the ‘70s TV show The Partridge Family. He battled personal issues throughout the years, especially in his later life, and he died in 2017 at 67 years old.
In 2008, Cassidy revealed at the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council that he struggled with alcoholism. “Tonight, I am publicly stating that I am an alcoholic,” he told the audience. In an interview with Piers Morgan in 2014, the actor said his heavy drinking only started in 2002, contrary to what tabloids reported in the ‘70s. Cassidy had been arrested on multiple occasions from 2010 to 2014 for DUI and in 2015, he was charged with leaving the scene of a crime after being involved in a car crash in Florida.
In an interview with People in Feb. 2017, Cassidy said that he had dementia, a disease that both his mother and grandfather had. “I was in denial, but a part of me always knew this was coming,” he stated. He even appeared on Dr. Phil to talk about his diagnosis and the rumors about him being drunk during a concert.
David Cassidy needed a liver transplant
Just two months before his death, he confessed that he lied about having dementia, which came as a shock to many. Instead, he revealed that he had liver disease due to alcohol poisoning. “There is no sign of me having dementia at this stage of my life. It was complete alcohol poisoning,” he said.
Cassidy’s family and friends were surprised to learn that he had still been drinking. Many thought that he had been sober for years. The actor said that he drank to “cover up the sadness and the emptiness.” In Nov. 2017, Cassidy was brought to a hospital in Florida where he was admitted for kidney and liver failure. He was in and out of consciousness, and doctors were hoping that he would be stable enough until a liver was available for transplant.
However, he died of liver failure three days later on Nov. 21 surrounded by his family.
Published: Aug 1, 2024 04:13 am