Danny Bonaduce Mourns ‘Brother’ David Cassidy

Danny Bonaduce gave an interview at KING-TV earlier today to reflect on the life of David Cassidy. The Partridge Family star says he owes his career to the 70’s heartthrob, both on the show and afterwards. The two were very close, he says, though not always like brothers.

“He has always been like a brother — well, not always,” Bonaduce said. “When we worked together on The Partridge Family, he was twenty and I was ten. We were not really close. I thought of him as my brother because he was David Cassidy! He was the coolest thing to ever happen!”

The radio host says that as they grew older the bond between them grew stronger, and in the wake of David Cassidy‘s death, he got reciprocation for his brotherly love.

“Sean Cassidy called me up… and he said ‘I just want you to know, Danny, that David thought of you as his other brother,’ ” Bonaduce recalled.

Bonaduce also took the time to let fans know how generous Cassidy was with him. He says that he gave Cassidy every chance to cut him off.

“I made things difficult, for him to be kind to me. I got into a lot of trouble,” he said, referring to a string of arrests and embarrassing tabloid appearances in the 90’s.

It was Cassidy, he says, that turned Bonaduce’s life around. He recalled Cassidy inviting him to go on tour with him, but only on the condition that there would be no partying.

“He said ‘you’re going to go on this tour and you’re going to get a job,’ and I did! And I’ve been on the radio every day since,” Bonaduce said.

“I kind of owe this conversation, in a way, to David Cassidy,” Bonaduce said.

The memories are bittersweet, with Cassidy’s death so fresh on everyone’s mind. Cassidy passed away last week from organ failure. Bonaduce reflected on his last conversation with the superstar, which they had over the phone as Bonaduce was preparing to leave for a family vacation. He says they were discussing a biopic about Cassidy that the two would work on together.

“He was so excited,” Bonaduce remembered. “Then we got off the plane, and we went to get ice cream, and a guy came up to me and said ‘oh, I’m terribly sorry for your loss.’ I said ‘what? What loss?’ …just a tough time, all the way around.”