Partridge Family’s David Cassidy Dies at 67 from Organ Failure-Reported as Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Partridge Family star David Cassidy died at 67 after being rushed to a Florida hospital with organ failure.
The Truth:
David Cassidy was admitted to a Florida hospital’s ICU with organ failure in November 2017. And false reports of his death quickly followed.
But JoAnn Geffen, David Cassidy’s publicist, confirmed on November 20th that the ’70s pop icon remained in critical condition, despite those false reports.
Cassidy has suffered various health conditions in recent months and years. That, coupled with his recent hospitalization, fueled false reports of his death.
On November 8th, Cassidy’s publicist first confirmed that he’d been admitted to a Florida hospital’s ICU with multiple organ failure, the Associated Press reports:
Publicist JoAnn Geffen tells The Associated Press that Cassidy is in a Fort Lauderdale-area hospital with liver and kidney failure. She says he’s in a private room, conscious and surrounded by family. Geffen says there is nothing “imminent” about his condition, and doctors are hoping to “keep him as well as they can until they can find another liver.”
By November 18th, false reports of David Cassidy’s death had emerged. The website City-Herald.com led the charge with a story appearing under the headline, “BREAKING: David Cassidy dies of organ failure after brief hospitalization aged 67.” The false report of Cassidy’s death was shared on social media more than 70,000 times, and copycat reports followed.
Reuters columnist Ruthy Munoz confirmed the David Cassidy celebrity death hoax. She posted a screenshot of an email form publicist JoAnn Geffen:
False Reports of David Cassidy’s Death Follow Serious Health Issues
False reports of David Cassidy’s death carried extra weight because of his recent health issues. David Cassidy said in a February 2017 interview that he was battling dementia.
“I want to focus on what I am, who I am and how I’ve been without any distractions,” Cassidy said. “I want to love. I want to enjoy life.”
Cassidy has also openly talked about his battles with substance abuse. In 2014, the pop icon was arrested twice for drunken driving within a six-month period.
Previous reports of his health issues led to widespread belief in the David Cassidy death hoax that surfaced in November 2017.