David Cassidy goes public with dementia diagnosis, says he feared it was coming

In an interview with People on Monday, David Cassidy, 66, opened up about the fact that a part of him always knew he could end up with Dementia. He said he watched his own grandfather struggle with the memory-destroying disorder for years and watched his own mother - actress Evelyn Ward - “disappear” with dementia. He then said he, himself was struggling with the same disorder and that while he was in denial for some time, he knew it was coming,

David Cassidy giving up touring as a musician

Cassidy has revealed that he will stop touring as a musician, as he wants to focus on what he is, who he is, and what has been happening to him, without any distractions.

He wants to concentrate on his health and happiness, to love and to enjoy life.

The reason for Cassidy coming forward with his diagnosis was a video TMZ posted of him the day before. The footage showed him playing at a concert in Los Angeles at the weekend, and during that performance he forgot lyrics and slurred his words. With the posted video, TMZ went on to speculate that Cassidy had lost his long struggle with alcohol abuse (which included a stint at a rehab center in 2014) and had “fallen off the wagon.” However, what TMZ assumed to be alcohol abuse turned out to be the result of Cassidy’s Family and their tragic history with dementia. He told People that he had repeatedly struggled this past weekend to remember the lyrics to songs he had sung for almost 50 years.

In the past, David was reportedly happy to open about the problems suffered by his mother and grandfather and became a spokesman for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America back in 2012, traveling around to tell his own personal story about his mother’s dementia.

However, he had found it more difficult to admit that he had the same problem.

David Cassidy has had several personal ups and downs in the past

The news that he is suffering from dementia follows a decade of problems, including multiple drunk driving arrests and on-stage meltdowns. According to USA Today, his wife, Sue Shifrin-Cassidy, filed for divorce a month after his third DWI arrest in January 2014.

He was charged in a hit and run accident in Fort Lauderdale, Fl., in October 2015 after reportedly sideswiping a truck.

However, even before the latest problems at the concert over the weekend, Cassidy had reportedly decided to retire from performing in public at the end of this year. He reportedly posted a message on his website on February 7 telling fans he will be eternally grateful for their love and support, that he loves to play and perform live, but he will now slow down, but won’t “vanish or disappear” forever.