On Friday nights in 1970, a 10-year-old John Gray would put on his Scooby-Doo pajamas, curl up on the couch, and watch ABC. And why wouldn’t he, given the network’s killer line-up of The Brady Bunch, Nanny and the Professor and The Partridge Family? All hit shows.
How could that little boy imagine that, 45 years later, he’d meet one of the stars from one of those shows and spend the day with him handing out sandwiches to the needy?
Since we are celebrating culture and the arts in this issue, I thought I’d share the true story of how I met a famous singer and actor who, at one time, dominated pop culture and loved the Capital Region: especially Saratoga.
In the summer of 2015, I was the lone reporter invited to spend the day with a fallen star. His name was David Cassidy.
In the ’70s, Cassidy had a bigger fan club than The Beatles. Not only was he on a hit TV show, The Partridge Family, but his song I Think I Love You topped the charts in a half dozen countries.
Jump ahead several decades, the limelight faded away, and Cassidy was struggling with alcohol use and demonstrating a penchant for making bad decisions when he drank.
A DUI arrest in Schodack resulted in him being sentenced to community service. That’s when my phone rang.
The caller said, “David Cassidy is spending his day bringing food to hungry children, would you like to tag along?”
When I asked, “why me?”she replied, “Because I know you’ll be fair.”
It was bizarre, meeting a person I watched religiously on television as a child. Older, the face more craggy, his eyes much clearer than the mugshot the local media had been running since his arrest.
I asked how he was doing. He replied, “I haven’t felt this good in 20 years. There is a light in my life, helping people. It’s a beautiful thing.”
As we drove from a trailer park to small towns, Cassidy told me, “Please know today isn’t just about fulfilling an obligation. As a citizen, I’ve always felt it’s my responsibility to give back. Look at what I’ve gotten in my life.”
It was striking watching a man who could fill arenas 40 years earlier, talking to children and young parents who had no clue who he was. He seemed to love it.
I told him my favorite episode of The Partridge Family was one where his character, Keith Partridge, meets a young woman who had never heard of him. His ego takes a hit, but he learns to be humble.
“I loved that episode too,” he replied. “It mirrored my life.”
I mentioned his daughter, actress Katie Cassidy, and how well she was doing, and he lit up with a father’s pride. Then the smile retreated, and his eyes revealed a pain I hadn’t seen earlier. I didn’t ask, but my heart told me that this was a broken man trying to put the pieces of his life back together, knowing past mistakes left a mark on those he loved.
When the food was gone, we shook hands, and I resisted the urge to ask for a selfie, simply thanking him for sharing his day.
Two years later, I woke to the news that David Cassidy had died. His final words to his daughter Katie: “So much wasted time.”
In a world where we all sin and seek redemption, for one fleeting afternoon, I believe David found it, down a dirt road in Saratoga County, handing out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to hungry children.
