Love Is All That I Ever Needed. Chapter 40. "Feelin' Alright'...
David Cassidy’s TV career started in a spectacular way in 1969 with a string of dramatic roles
in the best shows from the era.
In 2013 he played his last tv role, it was on a popular CBC
show called ‘CSI’.
David played a poker player, Peter Coe, a murder victim. The episode ‘Last
Woman Standing’ was aired on February 27.
David used every occasion to promote the auction of his famous outfits from the 70s. He
wanted to raise money for the Alzheimer Association of America. The auction was an annual
event at Hard Rock Cafe in New York and took place on May 18, 2013.
Before the auction
David took part in a reality show ‘Celebrity Home Raiders’ to promote the things he wanted to
sell.
David’s memorabilia reached high prices, one of his stage jumpsuits was sold for $15,000,
another one for $3,500 and his Partridge Family lunchbox for $1000.
In 2013 he played 25 concerts, all of them in the USA, and they were amazing. Some of them
with Peter Noone from Herman's Hermits, and Micky Dolenz, another The Monkees member.
David played outdoor concerts or in casinos, for big or small audiences, sometimes not more
than 400 people were present.
Again he had various health problems - laryngitis, black eye
and he had a cut above it and eight stitches. In July he injured his right forearm by the spouting
of hot radiator fluid when he attempted to examine his car.
He told fans about those injuries during his performances, the audience, his fans, were like
real friends for him. The members of his band became like a family. David and Teri Cote,
Frank Fabio, Dave Robicheau and Craig J., after years of touring together, achieved an
extraordinary musical level. And understanding.
One of David's best concerts was on June 21
at the Bears Den, Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls. The 450 seat sold venue had a
tremendous sound and was intimate with a rising row of seats. It was an amazing 75 minute
concert. David was singing, playing the guitar and drums, talking and joking with the ecstatic
audience, who loved every minute of his performance.
They started with a funky ‘C’mon Get Happy’, next was a great, acoustic version of ‘I’ll Meet
You Halfway’, they got a standing ovation for playing The Monkees hits, and the audience was
singing with them. There were two surprises - ‘Gloria’ and ‘Wild Nights’.
And heartstopping,
unbelievable and moving David’s version of ‘Feeling Alright’. The song was from the late 60s,
originally recorded by Traffic. The author, Dave Mason said it was a song about a broken
relationship, but there was another known interpretation that the song was actually about a
relationship with drinking. David’s performance was painful to watch.
In summer of 2013 David and Sue decided to sell their Florida property. Their marriage existed
only on paper. 40 years ago they met after David’s concert in London, in 1973...
The first price for the house was $4,5 million.
Fans started being seriously worried about David..
In the early hours of August 21, 2013 David was arrested for DUI for the second time. In
Schodack, New York. He was pulled over after failing to dim his headlights as he passed a police car going in the opposite direction. His alcohol level was only 0,08% higher above the
New York legal limit. He was taken to jail and released after a few hours on $2,500 bail..
And..
On Friday night, January 10, 2014 David was arrested after being stopped for an illegal turn
in Los Angeles. This time the level of alcohol was twice the legal limit. He was driving a rented
Chevrolet Impala and an arresting officer noticed ‘the odor of an alcoholic beverage was
emitting from the vehicle.’ He was released from jail on $15,000 bond.
It was humiliating, David’s mug shot was in every tabloid all over the world, usually with some
of his pics from the 70s to show his way from top to the bottom.
His TV characters were many
times in jail, even Keith Partridge, but personally David was always very scared of being in
prison. He said in an interview from 1985 - ‘I’m afraid of going to jail. I’d put a gun to my head
if I was locked up. When I was young I was a bit wild and ended one night in the police cell.
I’d been drunk and belligerent. When you spend the night next to a derelict alcoholic you sober
up quickly.’
And..
On January 16, 2014 at the age of 82 Dave Madden died.
On February 10, 2014 Sue Shifrin filed for divorce. It was the last moment for David to sober
up.
Since the Las Vegas years Sue and David's marriage was rocky. They separated a few times,
they tried, but living with David never wasn’t easy. Sue organized them a home wherever
David’s work took them, but at last she had enough.
In 2013 David went public with a new
girlfriend, Maura Rossi, 11 years younger than him, an interior decorator, they met in 2013.
Maura was the age of the average David’s fans, but she said she didn’t have a crush on him
in the 70s. She also said that David was a workaholic, couldn’t stand dull people, dull situations
and he needed excitement. And that he told her his marriage was very unhappy.
The financial problems, the third DUI and a girlfriend everybody knew about were too much for Sue...
In February David decided to shut his FB page after he received a lot of hate mail, but
eventually changed his mind. He stated : ‘In response to the hundreds of emails and messages
from supportive and loving fans begging me not to shut up my Facebook page I have decided
to keep it, to give you updates but not to take anybody else’s post. I won’t be doing any more
concerts in the near future except for what is up on my website. I need to have this time to
reintroduce myself to my sober life and to necessary work to clean up the past. God
Bless, DC.’
In 2014 David played only 6 concerts. The first one was on February 14, and instead of many
problems he looked fit and healthy in black shirt and black pants.
After his third DUI David Cassidy was ordered to check into rehab.
On April 22 David gave an emotional interview with Piers Morgan on CNN. It was a very special
interview, quite unique. Piers Morgan, a famous English broadcaster was born in 1965, so he
remembered David’s glory days in the 70s. He let David feel at ease and he let him speak. It
was not exactly an interview but an emotional confession made in a very humble way by the
lost and very lonely man.
David said that he never wanted to disappoint his fans and it was very humbling and
humiliating, but he had to say he was an alcoholic, in rehab, sober for two months. He was
lying to himself and his loved ones. David said he had started drinking seriously in 2002.
They talked about the price David had to pay for his fame.
Piers Morgan asked David what
he felt watching pictures or videos of himself, young and beautiful. David was very moved and
answered that he was proud but that at the time he lived under enormous pressure. He worked
18 hours a day, 7 days a week, playing in The Partridge Family, recording at nights and at
weekends giving concerts. And what more people thought he was Keith and he started losing
his identity, felt lonely and exhausted.
When he was asked about the best, most rewarding moment of his career. David, fighting
back tears, answered that being an American and from New York for him that moment was
his 1972 Madison Square Gardens concert, also because his grandfather and his family were
in the audience.
He said that from the start he wanted to be a credible actor, credible and creative musician,
and he added that his father was the biggest influence.
He was also asked about his drinking and rehab, David admitted his personality had changed
and it was one of the reasons the paths with his wife began to diverge, and they had been
separated for a few years. He admitted he was unfaithful, but when he heard about the divorce
he felt hurt and it was very sad that his wife didn’t want to talk with him.
Piers Morgan asked
David what he wanted to tell his wife. David looked straight at the camera and said that he
loved her and wanted the best for her.
At the end, with tears in his eyes David told about a spiritual experience he had recently. It
was a moment for him to realize he was powerless with alcohol, the addiction, it was so hard,
it became an everyday struggle, constant work and fight not to drink, to stay sober. Piers
Morgan was very moved too and told David how much he admired him for his brave confession
and wished him the best.
In June 2014 Sue filed a Petition for Partition, a request for the court to sell property mutually
owned since they couldn’t come to an agreement together.
the pic- Lucio, The David Cassidy Official Website
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