David Cassidy Hospitalized for Multiple Organ Failure

David Cassidy, the actor known for playing Keith on The Partridge Family, was hospitalized for multiple organ failure and is in critical condition, a rep confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday.

The actor has been in the hospital for three days. He is in need of a liver transplant and has kidney failure. Page Six reports that Cassidy's health is rapidly deteriorating, but that he is "conscious now and surrounded by family." The news comes after the actor revealed in February that he has dementia.

The 67-year-old actor-singer told People magazine at the time that his family has a history of dementia and he had sensed "this was coming." Cassidy, whose song hits include "I Think I Love You" and "Cherish," said he would stop touring to focus on his health and "enjoy life."

Cassidy has had numerous personal problems in the decades following his initial success, ranging from substance abuse to bankruptcy. He is the stepson of actress and fellow Partridge Family star Shirley Jones.

At the height of his popularity, Mr. Cassidy commanded a rabid fan base that drew comparisons to those of Elvis Presley and the Beatles, with the New York Times reporting that after a 21-year-old Mr. Cassidy’s gallbladder was removed in 1971, fans called for the singer’s gallstones to be covered in bronze and sold alongside clippings of his hair.

Mr. Cassidy’s entrails remained off the market, but for several years his likeness was emblazoned on posters, push-out cards, coloring books and lunchboxes, as the band he led on television — the Partridge Family, a true family outfit that featured his stepmother Shirley Jones — became one of the decade’s defining pop music acts, beloved by a mostly female audience and derided by critics who heard only bubble-gum blandness.

Very sad. His early popularity was something he was never comfortable with.

On a lighter note, I liked these two paragraphs from the Washington Post's obituary:



I hope all of your entrails remain off the market.

Sad news. RIP David.

ABC's Friday night line-up at the time practically defines the early 70s:

Brady Bunch
Partridge Family
Room 222
Odd Couple
Love American Style