Photo by A&E Network – Copyright 2018(LOS ANGELES) — David Cassidy: The Last Session, a new A&E Biography episode focusing on the late pop idol, premieres this Monday, June 11, and features a surprising revelation: He lied about what caused his death.
In a phone conversation with Cassidy featured in the program, taped a few weeks before his death in November 2017, the singer admits that the dementia and other health issues he claimed to be experiencing were actually the result of his alcoholism.
The special features footage filmed last year for a documentary originally intended to focus on Cassidy’s struggle with dementia. During that time, in the middle of a recording session for a tribute album to his late father, actor Jack Cassidy, David passed out and was rushed to a hospital.
After regaining consciousness, Cassidy spoke by phone with an A&E producer and admitted, “I have a liver disease…There is no sign of me having dementia at this stage of my life. It was complete alcohol poisoning. And the fact is, I lied about my drinking. The head doctor at the hospital, she said, ‘I believe that your dementia was directly related to your alcoholism.'”
He added, “I did it to myself, man. I did it to myself to cover up the sadness. And the emptiness.”
David Cassidy: The Last Session also profiles the singer’s life and career, including his massive success in the early-’70s as star of The Partridge Family. It features candid interviews with David, his Partridge Family co-stars Danny Bonaduce and Brian Forster, his longtime friend Alice Cooper and others close to him. In addition, the show includes unheard audio tapes from 1976 and rare footage.
The special airs at 9 p.m. ET on A&E.
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