David Cassidy vowed to enjoy his life in the months following the public announcement of his dementia diagnosis, but less than a year later, on Nov. 21, 2017, his sudden death left fans heartbroken. Now, Cassidy’s longtime friend, Ken Sharp, has set out to keep the Partridge Family superstar’s memory alive with a tribute single released to benefit Cassidy’s charity of choice, the Alzheimer’s Association.
The tongue-in-cheek spoof single released by the pop musician is titled “I Wanna Be David Cassidy,” and it was written in the days following David Cassidy’s death from liver and kidney failure at age 67. All proceeds from the digital and vinyl single will go to the Alzheimer’s charity in David Cassidy’s honor, according to Chicago radio station WLS.
David Cassidy found a lifelong friend in musician and rock historian Ken Sharp after they worked together on David’s 2007 memoir, Could It Be Forever: My Story. Sharp also penned the liner notes for several Partridge Family album reissues, including the 1970s classics Up to Dat e, Sound Magazine , and Shopping Bag, as well as a greatest hits compilation. Perhaps most poignantly, Sharp was also the opening act for David’s penultimate concert performance at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California, last February.
You can listen to Ken Sharp’s tribute single, “I Wanna Be David Cassidy,” below.
David Cassidy spoke out about his dementia diagnosis during an appearance on the Dr. Phil Show earlier this year . At the time, David also discussed his mother Evelyn Ward’s battle with the disease, a subject he previously addressed in detail in a 2013 interview with pal Ken Sharp for Rock Cellar magazine.
David Cassidy would be proud of Ken Sharp for writing a tribute single for charity. In fact, before his own diagnosis, Cassidy raised a significant amount of money for charity by auctioning off some of his 19 7 0s memorabilia at Julien’s Auctions.
“I auctioned off some of my memorabilia, quite a few items that were very personal and also very public,” David told Rock Cellar . “I auctioned off a guitar, I auctioned off a number of my early jumpsuits and outfits that I wore in the ’70s and thankfully they brought in many thousands of dollars and I was very happy about that.”
Years before his dementia diagnosis was revealed, David Cassidy also recorded a public service announcement for the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation. You can see David Cassidy’s Alzheimer’s PSA below.
