Former teen idol Shaun Cassidy<\/a> called out his late father, Broadway and television star Jack Cassidy, as a “phony,” saying he was more showman than parent.<\/p>\n Shaun, a former teen heartthrob who rose to fame in the 1970s, said he and his brothers, including actor Patrick and the late David, saw through their father\u2019s carefully constructed fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n “My dad was so complicated,” Shaun, now 67, said during an interview with People.<\/a><\/p>\n FORMER TEEN IDOL SHAUN CASSIDY HAD TO RELEARN HIS OWN HITS FOR FIRST MAJOR TOUR IN 45 YEARS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “He basically invented this public persona with an accent that didn\u2019t exist in any country ever.”<\/p>\n The “He & She” actor, born in New York City, was expected to join his family\u2019s railroad business \u2014 until a life-changing Broadway show at age 14 set him on a new path.<\/p>\n As his fame grew, Jack began making the rounds on talk shows and often spoke in a theatrical, borderline British accent that left his kids stunned.<\/p>\n Shaun recalled how he and his brothers often questioned their father\u2019s over-the-top public persona.<\/p>\n “Patrick and Ryan and I would be like, \u2018What is up with this dude?\u2019” Shaun explained. “It seemed so phony to us. I\u2019m not sure he ever really figured out who he was.”<\/p>\n Jack Cassidy photographed at Philharmonic Hall, where he appeared for Cue Magazine\u2019s salute to ASCAP in honor of America\u2019s leading composers May 1, 1966.<\/span> (Bettmann\/Contributor\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Jack died in an apartment fire in 1976 at the age of 49.<\/p>\n Despite their complicated relationship<\/a>, Shaun, who was just 18 at the time, said he has learned to hold space for both the pain and the gifts his father left behind.<\/p>\n “He was not a good father, and I don’t say that with disrespect. I just say it with objectivity,” he said. “And yet I wouldn’t have traded him for the world. I got so many gifts from him, so many.”<\/p>\n American actress and singer Shirley Jones, alongside her husband, actor and singer Jack Cassidy, circa 1972.<\/span> (Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Shaun told People that growing up in the spotlight wasn\u2019t all glitz and glam.<\/p>\n He reflected on his own childhood in the spotlight<\/a> with his famous parents, “W.C. Fields and Me” star Jack and Oscar winner Shirley Jones.<\/p>\n Shaun admitted the world saw a picture-perfect Hollywood couple, but the reality at home was drastically different.<\/p>\n “Who they really are is not how they’re perceived by the public anyway. The public has an idea of who they are. If you grow up in a family of show folk, everything is very presentational.”<\/p>\n \u2014 Shaun Cassidy<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n “Who they really are is not how they’re perceived by the public anyway. The public has an idea of who they are,” Shaun said. “If you grow up in a family of show folk, everything is very presentational.”<\/p>\n Behind the scenes, Shaun said his father was largely absent during his formative years.<\/p>\n “I didn’t get the dad who went to my Little League games or took me on camping trips or any of that stuff. My mom did,” he said.<\/p>\n Still, Shirley, best known for her role on “The Partridge Family,” was often pulled away by her own career.<\/p>\n “The Partridge Family” stars Shirley Jones, Brian Forster, Suzanne Crough, Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce and David Cassidy pose leaning out of the windows of a bus in a group portrait circa 1973.<\/span> (Silver Screen Collection\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “My mom showed up for a lot of that stuff, but she was also gone a lot. She was making movies around the world,” he shared.<\/p>\n “I think one of the reasons she took \u2018The Partridge Family\u2019 job is because she wanted to be close to home.”<\/p>\n Jack and Shirley married in 1956 and divorced in 1975.<\/p>\n Shaun said he essentially raised himself while his parents were busy with their careers.<\/p>\n DAVID CASSIDY’S FINAL MONTHS: FORMER TEEN IDOL WAS TERRIFIED OF SUFFERING FROM DEMENTIA, WAS HAUNTED BY HIS FATHER’S DEATH<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Shaun Cassidy is launching his first major tour in 45 years.\u00a0<\/span> (John Atashian\/Getty Images; Brad Elterman\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “I have a whole friend group, kids, we were like Peanuts,” Shaun told People, as he referenced the iconic comic strip. “The parents weren\u2019t around.”<\/p>\n Shaun found comfort with other Hollywood kids who were navigating the same chaotic lifestyle.<\/p>\n “And yet all of us had similar backgrounds,” he continued. “I mean, Carrie Fisher was two doors down, and she was a good pal of mine.<\/p>\n “We all got through it with challenges, for sure. We not only survived but thrived, and I think we looked after each other.”<\/p>\n While Shaun rose to fame in the late \u201870s as a teen idol with hits like “Da Doo Ron Ron,” he eventually stepped away from the spotlight.<\/p>\n Shaun Cassidy rose to fame in the late \u201870s as a teen idol with hits like “Da Doo Ron Ron.” He eventually stepped away from the spotlight.<\/span> (\u00a0Brad Elterman\/FilmMagic)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In the \u201890s, he pivoted to a new chapter, working behind the scenes as a successful television writer and producer.<\/p>\n The “That\u2019s Rock \u2019n\u2019 Roll” singer admitted that fame caused “resentment” in his father and brother David<\/a>, as he echoed similar sentiments in an AARP interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n The former teen idol said both his father and older brother, David, struggled with his rising stardom.<\/p>\n “My father was always frustrated \u2014 married to a woman much more famous, then his son became more famous than he was.”\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014 Shaun Cassidy<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n “My father was always frustrated \u2014 married to a woman much more famous, then his son became more famous than he was,” Shaun told AARP.<\/a><\/p>\n “Instead of just being proud \u2014 \u2018That\u2019s my boy, that\u2019s my wife\u2019 \u2014 he had resentment, which tortured him and us.”<\/p>\n DAVID CASSIDY’S BROTHER SAYS IT WAS \u2018TERRIBLY HARD\u2019 WATCHING \u2018PARTRIDGE FAMILY\u2019 STAR BATTLE ALCOHOLISM\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Shaun also opened up about David, who starred in “The Partridge Family” and became a global sensation in the ’70s.<\/p>\n “David had this chip on his shoulder,” he said. “We had similar early careers, yet I looked at it as, \u2018Oh, I won the lottery. Now what will I do?\u2019”<\/p>\n But for David, the fame came with a struggle to be seen beyond his breakout role.<\/p>\n “He was like, \u2018No, no, no, I\u2019m not Keith Partridge. I\u2019m Jimi Hendrix!\u2019” Shaun recalled.<\/p>\n A young David Cassidy performs at Melbourne Cricket Grounds in Australia in 1974.<\/span> (Henry Diltz\/A&E Network)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “And I was like, \u2018Dude, you’re a character on a television show. It’s a big hit. America loves you. There could be worse fates.\u2019”<\/p>\n Looking back, Shaun said he always hoped his brother could find peace in his talent and success.<\/p>\n “Why don\u2019t you just enjoy it and trust that you will have the talent and fortitude to do other things? And he did, later in life,” he noted.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Shaun rose to fame in the late 1970s to early 1980s as both a teen idol and entertainer.<\/p>\n He released a series of pop albums that appealed to a teen audience.<\/p>\n His 1977 debut album<\/a>, “Shaun Cassidy,” featured the No. 1 hit “Da Doo Ron Ron.” He also starred as Joe Hardy in ABC\u2019s “The Hardy Boys\/Nancy Drew Mysteries.”<\/p>\n By the mid-1990s, he had shifted almost entirely to producing, launching series including “American Gothic,” “Roar” and “New Amsterdam.”<\/a><\/p>\n Today, Shaun is cherishing time with his mother. Jones, now 91, is still in good health.<\/p>\n Actress Shirley Jones poses for a portrait at her home in Los Angeles in July 2013.<\/span> (A2013)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “I have read about people who say, \u2018We\u2019re taking care of our kids still, and now we\u2019re taking care of our parents because they\u2019re living longer \u2014 oh, what a burden!\u2019” Shaun told AARP.<\/p>\n “And I have not found that to be the case at all. In fact, actually the opposite.”<\/p>\n The former teen idol said being there for the Oscar-winning “Partridge Family” star felt like a full-circle moment.<\/p>\n![\"(Original](\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/jack-cassidy.jpg\")
<\/div>\n![\"Shirley](\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/shirley-jones-jack-cassidy-scaled.jpg\")
<\/div>\n\n
![\"Cast](\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/patridge-family.jpg\")
<\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/shaun-cassidy-then-now.jpg\")
<\/div>\n![\"Shaun](\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/shaun-cassidy-1970-scaled.jpg\")
<\/div>\n\n
![\"david](\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/David20Cassidy20in20concert_10_300dpi.jpg\")
<\/div>\n![\"FILE](\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/shirley-jones-garden-ap.jpg\")
<\/div>\n
![\"Shaun](\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/shaun-cassidy-shirley-jones.jpg\")
<\/div>\n