David Cassidy 1996: The Partridge Family, Blood Brothers and the Fame That Nearly Destroyed Him

David Cassidy, star of The Partridge Family and the voice behind "I Think I Love You" (the best-selling single of 1970), sits down with Dini Petty five weeks before opening in Blood Brothers at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre. At 46, Cassidy is 600 performances deep into the role that finally proved he was more than a teen idol, and he's not holding back. This is not the Keith Partridge the world fell in love with. This is a man who was the highest-paid entertainer on the planet by 21, who had fans destroy six limousines outside Madison Square Garden (he wasn't in any of them), who couldn't eat in a restaurant or walk out his own front door without being mobbed. Cassidy tells Dini how he had to hide in car trunks just to leave hotels, how he moved homes repeatedly because fans were sleeping on his lawn, and why walking away from all of it wasn't courage. It was survival. Cassidy opens up about being swindled out of millions by corrupt business managers, learning about it for the first time live on Geraldo Rivera's television show while sitting in front of an audience. He describes the two failed marriages, the years of analysis, and the moment at 33 when he realized he was on a collision course with self-destruction. He reflects on his father Jack Cassidy's legacy as a Broadway perfectionist (and his limitations as a parent), the memory of watching his dad perform in Wish You Were Here at age three, and how that single night in a car driving through the Lincoln Tunnel determined his entire life. Five months after this interview, MGM Grand will fly its corporate jet to Toronto and offer Cassidy the lead in a $60 million Las Vegas show. He'll take it and spend two decades as a Vegas headliner, writer, and producer. David Cassidy died on November 21, 2017, at 67. CHAPTERS 0:00 David Cassidy on Blood Brothers in Toronto 3:34 Fame, money, and why none of it felt real 7:06 Madison Square Garden riots, hiding in car trunks 8:49 Willy Russell, Blood Brothers, and finding serious acting 10:49 The Partridge Family, songwriting, career perception 12:41 Swindled out of millions, finding out on Geraldo Rivera 16:21 Two failed marriages, analysis, bottoming out at 33 18:23 The public image vs. the real David Cassidy 20:40 Wife Sue, son Beau, and the next generation 21:07 Watching father Jack Cassidy on Broadway at age three 22:58 Jack Cassidy's acting legacy, Columbo, The Eiger Sanction ABOUT THE DINI PETTY SHOW The Dini Petty Show was a Canadian daytime talk show that aired on CTV from 1989 to 1999. Broadcast from Toronto, the show ran for ten years and featured in-depth conversations with Hollywood legends, music icons, politicians, and cultural figures. Dini Petty's warm yet probing interview style earned the show multiple Gemini Award nominations and a loyal audience across Canada. This channel is the official archive of The Dini Petty Show. Most of these interviews have not been seen since their original broadcast. New conversations from the vault are uploaded weekly. Subscribe to never miss a piece of television history. #DavidCassidy #PartridgeFamily #BloodBrothers #DiniPetty #IThinkILoveYou #TeenIdol #1990sTV #RareInterview #KeithPartridge #JackCassidy