Rant #715: A 62-Year-Old Partridge in a Pear Tree?

If you need a reality check on how much older we have all gotten, let me give it to you right now.

David Cassidy is 62 years old today.

That's right, the lead Partridge Family member, or at least the one of two (along with stepmom Shirley Jones) who sang on the Partridge Family records, turns a year older today.

The early 1970s were prime time for Cassidy. The son of actor Jack Cassidy was primed and ready for stardom in the late 1960s, but show business didn't know what to do with him.

He appeared in a couple of smaller roles in TV shows, but once the concept for "The Partridge Family" TV show came about--supposedly based on the real-life Cowsills, who had a number of hits but weren't thought to be photogenic enough--Cassidy was a lock for the lead role.

And he handled it pretty well.

"I Think I Love You," "I Woke Up in Love This Morning," and several other hits followed during the run of the show, but Cassidy actually became much bigger than the show, basically picking up the mantle from Davy Jones as the No. 1 teen idol in the land, besting Bobby Sherman by inches.

Wherever he went, there was mass hysteria.

Regrettably, during one concert, a fan died, and Cassidy had to take a long, hard look at his career from that point on.

His dual careers--actually three careers, as an actor, singer of Partridge Family records, and singer on his own, solo records--began to peter out by the mid 1970s. He still recorded and acted--and acted very successfully in a couple of stage productions--but his teenybopper fame really only lasted a few years.

He has been in and out of the spotlight since that time, recording and acting sporadically.

He was supposed to go on tour with Davy Jones this summer, but Jones' death put the kibosh on that.

Whether Cassidy is 62, 72, or 102, he will always be remembered by his fans as that fresh-faced kid with that beautiful long hair on The Partridge Family.

Along with Jones and Sherman, he must be looked upon as one of the all-time teen idols, loved by million of pre-pubescent girls, many of whom are now mothers and even grandmothers.

My sister absolutely adored him. She posted his pictures from Tiger Beat all over her room, she listened to his records, and she watched his show. And yes, she is the mother of three now, so she fits the profile perfectly.

Good luck to Cassidy.

A 62-year-old Partridge?

You bet!