In Memoriam (Part 1)- tributes from the world of music, showbiz and friends
America The Band
Ann Moses - editor of Tiger Beat magazine
Ken Sharp 22 November 2017 · Los Angeles, CA, United States ·
CRUSHED to hear of the passing of David Cassidy. This is a remembrance I didn't want to write. A fan for 47 years, I feel no shame in saying how much I loved his music and the music of The Partridge Family since I was a kid. He was the ROCK STAR I wanted to be.
Separate from his work in the Partridge Family, David's solo career was vastly underrated, his mid '70s album run, "The Higher They Climb, The Harder They Fall," "Home Is Where The Heart Is" and "Gettin' It In The Street" are exquisitely crafted records filled with a welter of pop gems, many written/co-written by David.
And that magical voice...rich, robust, warm, one of my favorite voices in music.
I feel very fortunate to have seen him live many times and interviewed him many times as well and later in life honored to have called him a friend. He had a great capacity to make you feel that you were special to him and I can still hear his infectious laugh.
In the mid 2000's, I was enlisted to interview David extensively, the text slated for use in his revised autobiography, "Could It Be Forever?" I flew to Florida and spent several days with David and his lovely family at their home in Fort Lauderdale doing marathon interview sessions--I also contributed new interviews with Shirley Jones, his brothers, Shaun, Ryan and Patrick and many of his musical collaborators/friends over the years. Having my childhood hero pick me up in his Corvette and take me all over town was trippy and surreal. Away from our interview sessions done by the pool, my fondest moments are the time we spent playing guitar together and him complimenting me on my playing. David also proudly did a little "show and tell" and pulled out his treasured Hofner Beatle bass. It was a treat to join David and his son Beau and wife Sue for delicious homemade dinners over the next few nights. Removed from being "David Cassidy," it was nice to spend quality time with him when he could relax and decompress; looking back, what really impressed me was his tight bond with his son Beau who was clearly the most important person in his life.
I saw David a few times after that; once backstage before his show at The Saban Theater in Beverly Hills. I gave him a copy of my book "Sound Explosion," which featured a chapter about the Partridge Family's work with the renowned LA session vets, "The Wrecking Crew." Paging through the book, he expressed deep gratitude and later that night took me by surprise by mentioning me and the book when setting up one of the Partridge Family songs he was about to perform.
Flash forward to February 18, 2017, I was able to achieve a dream by opening a show for my childhood rock star at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California at what turned out to be one of his last concerts ever. We met up briefly before the show and he greeted me with a warm hug and we had a few laughs.
God bless you David, your music was and will always remain a huge part of the soundtrack of my life. I will carry your kindness with me.
Sleep well my friend.
Elliot Mintz
by now, most of you know that david cassidy was called home yesterday at the age of 67.
he passed as a result of 'organ failure'.
i first met david when he auditioned for 'the partridge family' and became my neighboor in laurel canyon (in los angeles). i was doing 'talk radio' and we became fast friends. in the decades that would follow, we were a fixture in each others lives...….experiencing far to much to post in this box.
for a period of time, i also represented him.
we once spent 3 or 4 weeks in hawaii working on david's autobiography. it remains unpublished. we recorded 30 hours of recollections of his life as a 'teen idol' and beyond.
at one time the 'david cassidy fan club' had more members than elvis. we traveled to europe together where i viewed 'cassidymania' from helicopters and 'secret cars' which would move us in and out of concerts packed with tens of thousands of screaming young girls.
i had a 'front row' seat to a variety of these idolatry experiences with others, but i don't recall observing the madness of fame that held david cassidycaptive.
a 40 minute radio 'documentary' of that journey appears in the box below.
i was with him during birthdays and marriages and the excesses of hollywood long before 'tmz' was watching. we were together when he lost his dad and i introduced him to john and yoko. the four of us went out for a great sushi dinner and john gave david some wise words about the' fickle nature of fame'.
i was thrilled when he triumphantly ensconced himself in las vegas….and was deeply saddened during the last few years when his 'fall from grace' was played out in the public arena.
i always knew david to be a good soul…..and an underrated artist. it is difficult to emerge from the frenzy of 'teen megastardom' and be taken seriously.
he was tormented by a shadow from which he could not escape.
he is free now from a body that had 'shut down' and dementia that put an end to his career last year.
he passed quietly and peacefully with a small group of friends and family by his side.
in his lifetime, david cassidy brought so much joy to millions who discovered him when they were in their teens.....and might be reading this now.
to leave behind a legacy of such happy memories which spanned generations is pretty potent magic. he was the 'real deal'.
good night, my friend.
JIMMY KEEGAN
May of 1997, I got a call for a piece together band to play one song. It was supposed to be a secret of some kind. Turns out, it was for David Cassidyand he was closing the 1997 Billboard Music Awards which had a TV theme. The band consisted of Allen Hinds, Elisa Fiorillo Dease, Vail Johnson, Jennifer Blakeman and me! Talk about a wonderfully over-qualified band to play "I Think I Love You".
The band arrived early and we ran it a few times and kinda went ... okay, well now what? David arrived and from the minute he got there, he was a delight. Friendly, somewhat self-deprecating and quickly recognized that he had a ridiculous band. He was funny and energetic. Basically an all-around good guy.
A few days later we flew to Vegas and did the show, met some cool people, had an overall nice time and that was it.
Again, David was total pro!
A while later, some friends of mine were coming in to Vegas (when I lived there) playing with David. Pascale, my wife at the time, and I decided we could take Benoit, her son, who was still pretty young. The show was great. We went backstage to say hello and David couldn't have been nicer. Teri Coté-Drums, Frank Fabio were in the band and the hang was great. Davidwas, again, friendly and generous with his time and made Ben laugh quite a bit.
The media likes a story and David had some "story" moments. I talked to him. I shared a couple laughs and made some music. I didn't know him on an intimate level but I know that the time I did get to spend with him was always a pleasure. This is what I will remember.
His smile was infectious!
