David Cassidy says he is suffering from dementia

Former teen idol David Cassidy has revealed he is suffering from dementia, after concerns were raised about his health when he forgot his words and appeared to fall off stage during weekend performances in California.

The former Partridge Family singer and actor, who is 66, told People magazine he was fighting dementia, a disease which his mother also suffered from.

“I was in denial, but a part of me always knew this was coming,” Cassidy told People.

Cassidy told the magazine he had decided to stop touring as a musician to concentrate on his health.

“I want to focus on what I am, who I am and how I’ve been, without any distractions,” he said. “I want to love. I want to enjoy life.”

Cassidy’s publicist said the musician’s comments were accurate, but gave no further details.

His comments followed the release of videos taken by fans which showed the singer struggling to remember words to some of his old hits at small venue concerts in southern California on Saturday and Sunday.

At one point, he appeared to fall off the side of a small stage before climbing back up.

Personal life

Cassidy, whose hits Cherish and I Think I Love You had teenage girls swooning in the 1970s, has struggled with drinking and financial troubles in recent years.

In 2015, he had to auction his Florida home after a bankruptcy filing.

He was arrested three times for drunken-driving between 2010 and 2014, and was ordered to rehab as part of his sentence in 2014.

Cassidy appeared in several stage shows after his career as a solo singer declined.

He played an aging former teen heartthrob in the short-lived 2009 TV comedy Ruby & the Rockits and also appeared on the Celebrity Apprentice reality TV show in 2011.

Reuters