Actor and singer David Cassidy has died at the age of 67, his family have announced.
The US star, who shot to fame on the American sitcom ‘The Partridge Family’ was admitted to hospital in Florida last week with multiple organ failure.
In a statement, his family said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, our uncle, and our dear brother, David Cassidy.
“David died surrounded by those he loved, with joy in his heart and free from the pain that had gripped him for so long. Thank you for the abundance and support you have shown him these many years.”
After finding fame on TV, David went on to become a teen pop idol in the 1970s, thanks to his boyish good looks and a catalogue of catchy hits.
‘The Partridge Family’, about a mother and her five children who form a band, released eight studio albums, with David on lead vocals, along with his real life stepmother, Shirley Jones, who played his mother on the show.
The show spawned several hit songs, including ‘I Think I Love You’ and made David a household name.
He quit the show in 1974, and enjoyed a string of solo hit singles, selling over 30 million records worldwide and earning a Grammy nomination in the process.
At the peak of his fame in the 1970s, his fan club had a bigger membership than The Beatles and Elvis Presley.
In 2008, the singer opened up about his struggles with alcohol. Between 2010 and 2014, he was arrested three times for drink driving, and was ordered to rehab as part of his sentence in 2014.
In February this year, he revealed that he was living with non-Alzheimer’s dementia, after falling down during a concert. His mother had suffered from the same condition.
Musicians and actors including Gloria Gaynor and Harry Connick Jr took to Twitter to pay their respects...
He is survived by his children, Katie and Beau, his stepmother Shirley Jones, and his half-brothers Shaun, Ryan and Patrick.
