David Cassidy’s third ex-wife, Sue Shifrin Cassidy, exploded on Twitter after hearing about A&E‘s upcoming documentary on the last days of the late 1970s teen idol.
Shifrin has since deleted her Twitter profile, but Page Six published excerpts from her rant.
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“I have been inundated with comments re upcoming A&E special about @DavidCassidyFan,” Shifrin wrote on Twitter. “I rarely comment on such matters, however I cannot tell you how sad & disappointed we are that A&E chose to air this special that noone [sic] in the Cassidy Family sanctioned or wanted.”
Shifrin called the special, titled David Cassidy: The Last Sessions, “exploitative” and “sensational.” She accused everyone who took part in the special of chasing their “15 seconds of fame.”
“Shame on A&E and all involved,” she wrote.
Danny Bonaduce, who co-starred with Cassidy on The Partridge Family and now hosts a radio show in Seattle, replied: “Dear Sue, Sorry to hear my 15 min are just about up. I kind of knew. There was a Cassidy involved, his name was David. He asked me to participate & I was happy to do it for him. I don’t see any shame in speaking fondly about David. My best to you & Beau.”
Last week, excerpts from Cassidy’s own interview with A&E producers for the film leaked to PEOPLE, including a startling admission. He said he had liver disease, lied to the media about his drinking and never had dementia.
“I have a liver disease. There is no sign of me having dementia at this stage of my life. It was complete alcohol poisoning,” Cassidy told the interviewer. “The fact is that I lied about my drinking. I did this to myself to cover up the sadness and the emptiness.”
Early last year, Cassidy fell off the stage at a performance, which led to a Dr. Phil interview. Cassidy told Phil McGraw he was not intoxicated, but was diagnosed with dementia. The singer previously told his family and friends he stopped drinking in 2014 after a rehab stint.
“Part of alcoholism is lying,” Bonaduce said in the special. “When you’re an addict, you know you can’t be honest with people. You say what you want them to hear. I can’t be mad at David for that, but it’s still a tragedy.”
Cassidy died in November at 67 from liver failure. He was married to Shifrin from 1991 and 2016. Cassidy is survived by his children, actress Katie Cassidy and son Beau Cassidy.
David Cassidy: The Last Sessions airs on A&E Monday at 9 p.m. ET.
