Actor David Cassidy, known for his role as the teen heartthrob Keith Partridge on the TV show The Partridge Family, has disclosed he has dementia.
In an interview with PEOPLE, the 66-year old actor revealed his diagnosis of dementia, saying, "I was in denial, but part of me always knew this was coming."
Cassidy had an uncle who suffered from dementia, as did his mother, whom he watched "disappear" before her death at the age of 89.
“In the end, the only way I knew she recognized me is with one single tear that would drop from her eye every time I walked into the room," Cassidy said of his late mother… "I feared I would end up that way.”
Cassidy who recently has had some fallouts while on tour, from not being able to remember the lyrics to a song he's been singing for decades, to slurring his words and stumbling around on stage has decided to quit touring to focus on his health. “I want to focus on what I am, who I am and how I’ve been without any distractions,” he stated “I want to love. I want to enjoy life.”