One of David Cassidy’s longtime co-stars offered up his support shortly after the singer and actor revealed he’s suffering from dementia.
Danny Bonaduce — who played Cassidy’s little brother on “The Partridge Family” — urged fans to share their kind words with the 66-year-old icon several hours after Cassidy opened about his condition for the first time.
“David Cassidy once had a bigger fan club than Elvis & the Beatles,” Bonaduce wrote Monday night on Twitter. “If you’re a fan, now is a great time to send him your love & best wishes.”
Cassidy revealed he’s battling the illness in an interview with People on Monday, two days after he slurred his words and fell off stage during an uneven musical performance in southern California.
He said his mother and grandmother also suffered from dementia, which causes a person to progressively lose their memory.
“I was in denial, but a part of me always knew this was coming,” he told the magazine.
He also tragically recalled the toll the medical condition took on his mother, who died at the age of 89.
“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,” he told People, adding, “I feared I would end up that way.”
Cassidy rose to fame in the 1970s for his portrayal of Keith Partridge on the musical sitcom “The Partridge Family.” His charming performance in that role solidified him as one of the preeminent teen heartthrobs of the era.
The fan-favorite star suffered from alcohol issues as an adult and attended rehab in 2014 following his third DUI arrest earlier that year. He was arrested for driving under the influence in 2010 and 2013 as well.
