Initially, it felt like the father and daughter were there for each other at all times, but later their relationship suddenly seemed strained.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on September 13, 2021, and has since been updated.
David Cassidy was an actor and singer who became an American sweetheart with his starring role in the 1970s musical TV series The Patridge Family. He began a short-lived relationship with model Sherry Williams following which actress Katie Cassidy was born in 1986. After he married his third (ex)wife Sue Shifrin, his son Beau was born in 1991. Even though the actor had two children, he only considered Beau his own.
Katie, on the other hand, was raised by her mother and stepfather Richard Benedon. Their relationship seemed healthy; during a 2009 interview with People, when she was asked how she felt about her relationship with Cassidy, the Arrow actress said, "To be able to go to someone I’m genetically linked to, tell them anything and know that they’re not going to judge me—it’s unbelievable."
It was revealed that the actor also gave Katie career advice like, "Do not work for money. Do not work for fame. Work for the work. And if you get a great role and they offer you nothing, take it," which she obviously took. Cassidy, explaining his bond with his daughter, revealed that the fact that he didn't "raise her" was the reason they connected so much. He said, “Because I didn’t raise her, I didn’t have to parent her. I’m always here and totally nonjudgmental.”
While everything seemed alright between the two, there came a time after Cassidy revealed that he had dementia in 2015, when things seemed a bit rocky between the father and the daughter. During an interview with People in 2017, while the actor gushed about his son Beau, he had very few words for Katie.
He revealed that his personal struggles with alcoholism didn't affect his bond with Beau because “he’s just one of the best people you’ll ever meet in your life and it’s that that I’m proud of." He added, “He knows that I’m just a little off. Sometimes he cocks his head at me a little bit and goes, ‘Dad do you remember?’ and I say, ‘No, I know I do, I remember.’ He’ll give me reminders once in a while. He just turned 26. He’s such a beautiful person.”
But when he was asked about Katie he said that he "never had a relationship with her." Explaining further he said, “I wasn’t her father. I was her biological father but I didn’t raise her. She has a completely different life.” However, he did admit that he was "proud" of the woman she had become. “She’s very talented. It’s hard for me to even accept how old she is now, like 30.”
The actor passed away on November 21, 2017, due to organ failure. Along with his family members, even Katie was by his side in his last moments. The Gossip Girl actress later took to Twitter to express her devastation and revealed the last words spoken by the actor. As cited by Today, Katie penned, “Words can’t express the solace our family’s received from all the love & support during this trying time. My father’s last words were 'So much wasted time.' This will be a daily reminder for me to share my gratitude with those I love as to never waste another minute....thank you."
Katie Cassidy, daughter of actor David Cassidy, reveals her father's last words in a touching tweet: "So much wasted time" pic.twitter.com/gvdWprZDox
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 24, 2017
It was later disclosed that Cassidy didn't leave anything for his daughter after his death, out of his $150,000 in assets. This made things clear that his relationship with Katie was quite strained. Even though there were reports that the two had reconciled, the actor didn't change his decision to include Katie as a recipient in his will. In the documents received by The Blast, it is clearly stated that even though he has two kids, “all references in this Trust to my ‘child or children’ are to Beau Devin Cassidy and such references shall not include Katie Evelyn Cassidy...It is my specific intent not to provide any benefits hereunder to Katherine Evelyn Cassidy and/or any descendant of Katherine Evelyn Cassidy.”
Even though there's no insight into what caused the rift between him and Katie, it is believed that the time that they missed out on as father and daughter led to their estrangement. For Katie, the demise of her father was hard but it had a "silver lining" because it brought the family together. Five months after Cassidy passed away, Katie told People, “Obviously, it’s been a tough year, that’s a given. But if anything, I have to say, I always try and look for some sort of silver lining in situations like that — and I guess it’s nice that it really brought my family together.”
She added, “Even though the loss of my father was hard, it really brought my uncles, myself and my brother back together. I think that’s the silver lining.” She hasn't posted anything about her deceased father ever since her last tweet.
References:
https://people.com/archive/david-katie-cassidy-vol-72-no-10/
https://people.com/celebrity/david-cassidy-talks-relationship-son-daughter/
https://www.today.com/popculture/katie-cassidy-reveals-her-father-david-cassidy-s-last-words-t119259
https://theblast.com/david-cassidy-will/
https://people.com/tv/katie-cassidy-talks-late-father-david-cassidy-relationship/
