David Cassidy Reveals Dementia Struggle: ‘I Was in Denial’
Pop icon and The Partridge Family export David Cassidy has revealed that he's battling dementia, and the 66-year-old says he knew the fight was coming.
Cassidy tells People in a new interview that he's decided to stop touring in light of his condition, and says dementia is the reason he's struggled with memory over the past few years. Over the weekend in Agoura Hills, California, Cassidy forgot the words to songs that are decades old during a show.
"I was in denial, but a part of me always knew this was coming,” he explains. "I want to focus on what I am, who I am and how I’ve been without any distractions. I want to love. I want to enjoy life.”
Cassidy also recalls watching his mother and grandmother — who both suffered from dementia — shrink away in the years leading up to their deaths. He says the memory of their sickness left him worried he would follow suit.
"In the end, the only way I knew [my mother] recognized me is with one single tear that would drop from her eye every time I walked into the room," he laments. "I feared I would end up that way.”
More of Cassidy's interview will be included in People's forthcoming issue.
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