This is what I wrote when David Cassidy died. Re-posted now for his birthday.
Maybe you “had to be there” to really get just how huge he was back then. I wasn’t the biggest Patridge Family fan in the world, and I was too young to get hormonally fangirl about David Cassidy like every teenage girl in my neighborhood who went BANANAS for him -but even I – still listening to Broadway musicals on my turntable and playing with Fisher Price “peeps” – knew who he was. He was everywhere. A GIGANTIC star. Who can forget the Annie Leibovitz photo of him on the cover of Rolling Stone?
(Completely unsafe-for-work additional photo from that same shoot below the jump.)
And I always liked his biggest hit.
I met him back when he starred in the musical Blood Brothers on Broadway – along with his brother Shaun, Petula Clark and – most importantly – my amazing aunt Regina O’Malley.
Here’s a compilation video of some of the songs/moments from the show. Look for my aunt in the plaid jumper, listening to Petula Clark (my aunt played Clark’s daughter, and sister to David/Shaun).
I loved the show. He was wonderful in it, his voice was very strong live. My aunt said he was lovely, took his work very seriously, and so wanted to be taken seriously as an actor. He worked very hard. He was nice to everyone, including the slightly-batty stalkers who flocked to the stage door every night. He was doing well at that point in his life. He had had struggles with addiction, which he had been open about in interviews (getting him a ton of shit at the time. The sneering contempt with which this huge Teenage Idol was treated – by “serious” people – is sadly par for the course in our culture – and, as I’ve said before in some of my writing about Elvis – stems a lot from misogyny. “Wait a second, WE didn’t anoint this guy. WE’RE supposed to be the ones who tell people what’s cool. We can’t let millions of screaming GIRLS tell us what’s cool. Who cares what GIRLS think?” Well, hate to break it to you, boys, but teenage girls ALWAYS know what’s cool and they know LONG before you do. When you hear thousands of girls screaming at once, you should follow the sound, not make fun of it. GIRLS anointed Elvis their King long before the mainstream did. Teenage girls – and gay boys – are early adopters.) But anyway, at the time of Blood Brothers, he had cleaned up his act and was doing well. The show was a hit.
What I remember from going to see Blood Brothers was going backstage to meet up with my Aunt. It was her Broadway debut, so we were all very excited. We had been going to see her in plays since we were in grade school. It was a madhouse back there, and I saw David Cassidy, and he saw us, the big crowd of O’Malley kids. He was unbelievably nice to us. Thanked us when we complimented him, but he also turned the conversation around to our Aunt. “She’s so good, isn’t she? You must be proud of her …” He said that kind of thing, which is extremely gracious if you think about it. At first I was awestruck by him, thinking, as I watched Shaun walk by us in the hallway, shaking hands with the two of them, “Wow… THE PARTRIDGE BOYS RIGHT HERE WHAT IS HAPPENING.” David Cassidy’s Sexual Persona was still overwhelming! I mean, it was insane!
But I kept it together and he was so nice to the gaggle of O’Malley cousins coming to see their Aunt on Broadway. He sort of effaced himself knowing we were there for her.
It made an impression.
The man struggled and suffered and I am very sorry to hear that. He made his fans so happy in his heyday. And – as I’ve said time and time again about other similar “teen idols” – fans of such people are loyal. Go to a tour at Graceland and you’ll be getting on the shuttle bus with 80-year-olds who have loved Elvis for 60+ years. You never stop loving someone you loved at a fever pitch when you were 14.
At least you shouldn’t.
Rest in peace, David Cassidy.
I was maybe a year or two too young to be a Keith Partridge fan at his peak time — I was crazy about Shaun Cassidy during the Hardy Boys era, a few years later. But I caught up to the reruns when I was a kid and felt a strong affection for him. He did have charisma. And I smile whenever my iTouch plays “I Think I Love You.” May he rest in peace.
Jane – My first real teen-idol crush was Ralph Macchio – and I will always love him for the happiness he brought to me during my teenage years.
Affection like what you describe is a rare thing indeed. The memory of being a kid – and loving something – is so strong. Teen idols don’t have an easy road … and his wasn’t easy … but he made people happy while he was here.
Well said. He was perfection to me when I was 13 and will always be.
Thank you. His fans are very loyal and that’s a beautiful thing.
I’ll give you a nice anecdote from somebody who was exactly the right age: We seldom had a working television and The Partridge Family was the only show I could keep up with just by hearing other kids talk about it. I mean, you knew what happened in every episode just from your time at recess and the cafeteria. Between DC, Susan Dey (there’s all your male and female crushes added together right there) and Danny Bonaduce’s character (the one everybody could relate to), everybody in junior high had some sort of a stake.
He was our Ricky Nelson, and if the times hadn’t changed so rapidly (he wasn’t exactly cut out for disco!), he might well have had a similar career and forced a similar turnaround in “critical” opinion. The talent and charisma were there.
And anybody who hasn’t landed on that “Hey-y-y-y-y I think I love you” singing along to some oldies station or 45-on-a-cheap-turntable at least once in their life hasn’t lived as fully as they should have!
Susan Dey! I was so excited when she showed up on LA Law – YEARS later. Like I said … you never forget those people who were huge when you were only 4 feet tall.
// if the times hadn’t changed so rapidly (he wasn’t exactly cut out for disco!), he might well have had a similar career and forced a similar turnaround in “critical” opinion. The talent and charisma were there. //
That’s a really good point!
and ha, totally agree on your final comment. It’s a great song!
Thanks. The article I was waiting for.
Patricia – I am so glad.
Oh David!
I was 11 when the Partridge Family premiered, so I was a full blown fanboy of David’s. Excuse me, the hair, the lithe little body, the wonderful singing voice? Burgundy velvet vest and matching bell bottom pants? I was gone. GONE!
I realize now that going to Kmart and buying the 45 of I Think I Love You was perhaps the first affirmatively gay thing I ever did. I remember thinking ahead of time the checkout counter lady is going to know that I’m gay if I buy this, because only girls buy this. I prepared a comeback in case she said anything, something like I was buying it for my sister. But I went for it anyway. And the cashier didn’t say a word, didn’t look at me quizzically. I was probably one of dozens of boys who bought it along with the horde of girls. Cashiers know all.
I saw David Cassidy years later in Las Vegas, playing some sort of man-on-an-odyssey rip off of Pippin. It was OK, a Vegas spectacular, but the highlight for all of us fans was the intermission, when he came out as “David” rather than as his character and sang some of his Partridge Family hits. Two thousand people swooning in unison. Sigh. My one and only live fanboy moment, and I was in my late 30s by then.
Love you, David Cassidy! Always will.
Stevie – Oh I love your comment! The Details!! the burgundy vest!
// I realize now that going to Kmart and buying the 45 of I Think I Love You was perhaps the first affirmatively gay thing I ever did. //
This actually made me tear up. It’s beautiful – and also sad to consider you had to think up a comeback if the cashier said anything – but dammit, you were ready anyway because you had to have that 45!!
// man-on-an-odyssey rip off of Pippin. //
Uhm … wow. How bizarre.
The outpouring of affection for him in the wake of this sad news has been very touching to witness.
Your memory of his kindness deeply struck me, Sheila. I think he truly was kind. I think that was one of the reasons that I fell in love with him. And I think that’s one of the big factors of heartthrobhood. Some people label it as adolescent, or nonthreatening, even unmasculine, and to the extent that kindness are these things, perhaps that is so, but as important as the hair and the eyes and the smile and the youth and the talent, kindness is key. Kindness can coexist with sexuality, of course. What a potent combination!
Elvis, Zac Efron, David Cassidy, Justin Timberlake, Ralph Macchio: these men seem kind. It is their persona. Cary Grant.
I reject Justin Bieber from the heart throb club because I sense in him unkindness. There, I said it.
In the life of many heart throbs, sometimes within weeks or months of their dramatic rise to the top, comes the moment when they try to reject their niceness, to say to the world, I’m not this kind person, I am a man (aka I am strong, I can be mean, I can be forceful). I am worthy of (straight) male respect and admiration. And here is when they do something to send the message: pose nude, get in a fight, do drugs, drive drunk, dump a wife or girlfriend, get tattoos, start hanging out with macho-certified types. They purposely change the formula that brought them into the stratosphere in the first place: the love ballads and catchy pop is replaced with heavy metal, long hair becomes short, short hair grows long. This impulse can be destructive, of course, and the whole gossamer web of fame crumbles. We tend to portray this process as a bid for legitimacy: I am a serious musician and actor. But I think it’s even more basic than that: it is a bid for entry into the straight male club personified by the body guards, power-wielding misogynist producers and roadies they are surrounded by. Justin Bieber’s naked adoration (and emulation) of his posse of 7 foot tall, 500 pound muscular gun toting bodyguards is a case in point. It is their acceptance that he craves. So what are we, chopped liver? Fans feel the rejection. But we also know when the kindness is innately there. We somehow sense when the macho posturing is fake. Elvis is kind. And sexy and supremely talented and troubled.
Stevie – excellent thoughts!
I was slightly afraid Zac Efron was going in that direction – I think Mitchell and I discussed it – we both love him so much and he made a couple of derogatory comments about the High School Musical audience (this was a while ago) – and yes, he was trying to establish himself as an adult now, and etc. – I GET it. But to alienate the people – screaming tweens – who made you famous … never a good move. He was super young when he made those comments – 20, 21? so it’s forgivable, but I did get nervous for him. He seems to have course-corrected. This kind of gaffe is something Elvis never ever did.
and yeah, Bieber. Hm. That documentary about him was SO weird although it gave me some appreciation for what The Kids see in him (at least in terms of his performance style, which is very joyful and non-threatening – a perfect kind of sexuality for 12, 13 year old girls). But yes, surrounded by these goons! He has NO peer group around him. It’s reeeeeealllly weird.
My aunt’s FB page has been taken over by mourning friends of David Cassidy – the cast/crew had been in the midst of planning a 25 year reunion just this year. :( One of the comments on my aunt’s FB thread really struck me – a musician in the orchestra for Blood Brothers said, “He was always so nice to the musicians. A good guy.”
Very moving.
I think kindness is ESSENTIAL. a HUGE part of the appeal. And yeah – it can’t be faked. Or, it CAN, but eventually the lie will be revealed.
Yes, exactly! That is the radar that we fans operate: is he kind? Then we can love unreservedly.
It would be a blast to have a marathon conversation with you and Mitchell about heartthrobs! Maybe one day . . .
Happy Thanksgiving, Sheila! Love you! Xxx
Heartthrobs are endlessly fascinating. They reveal so much about humanity, who we are, what we want …
I love you too Stevie – have a wonderful day. Very thankful for YOU.
Tony Romeo, who wrote “I Think I Love You,” got the gig because he knew Wes Farrell, who produced the Partridge catalog. And he’s written some brilliant stuff; “It’s One of Those Nights (Yes Love),” a latter-day Partridge single, sends emotions cascading over you the way Jimmy Webb does: what is not said, often as not, means as much as what is said.
Wonderful perspective – thank you so much!
I haven’t read the other comments, because I want to just talk about your tribute! I was around 10 when the Partridge Family started, but I fell in deep love with David Cassidy. What I loved about his character of Keith Partridge, he was the first boy who I saw on TV, who was so good looking, but was also very goofy. I can’t stress how important that was to me. Good looking is nice, but funny and good looking? I was entranced.
Looking at his photos, I think he also set me up to be attracted to men with hooded eyelids! I don’t even know if that is the right terminology-but I swear-that look is a total turn on for me!
I’ve always agreed with your thoughts on what teenage girls love, and how they are disregarded and downplayed by the powers that be. The great thing about girls, especially when we are young-we don’t give a crap about what anyone else says-we know what we love, and we will love it with a loyalty all our lives. RIP David Cassidy-your kindness and humor were evident in the roles you played, and you will be sorely missed.
// who was so good looking, but was also very goofy. I can’t stress how important that was to me. Good looking is nice, but funny and good looking? I was entranced. //
Maureen – I love this observation! It really is a killer combo.
// we don’t give a crap about what anyone else says-we know what we love, and we will love it with a loyalty all our lives. //
It’s such a beautiful thing. So powerful it could light up the Eastern Seaboard for a year.
Thank you for your thoughts.
There wasn’t nothing that David couldn’t sing or act in. He was a tremendous talent. An very very missed. R.I.P. David love u always ??
I was born in 1960 so I think David was supposed to be my teen crush. Many of my peers were David obsessed. My crush was Angie Dickinson on the series, Police Woman. How did I not know I was gay till I was 19?
Donna – lol. Oh my God, she was so hot in that.