Why David Cassidy’s dementia caused him to fall

David Cassidy is battling dementia at the age of 66.

The former teen idol revealed his diagnosis on Monday, after a weekend of performances in California, in which he forgot his words and fell off stage. 

He told People magazine: ‘I was in denial, but a part of me always knew this was coming.’

His mother the actress Evelyn Ward struggled with dementia until her death at 89 in 2012.

‘In the end, the only way I knew she recognized me is with one single tear that would drop from her eye every time I walked into the room. … I feared I would end up that way,’ Cassidy said. 

Throughout the night that led to his revelation, the singer launched into long stories many of which did not make sense. 

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Shock appearance: David Cassidy fell off stage in Agoura Hills, outside LA, on Saturday night, slurring his words, forgetting lyrics. A doctor explains why that is symptomatic of dementia

LEADING UP TO CASSIDY’S DEMENTIA REVELATION 

Cassidy’s comments followed videos taken by fans of 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.

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 was a member of the ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ reality TV show in 2011. 

Cassidy has now said he is struggling with the memory loss disease and revealed his mother and his grandfather also had the condition.

At one point he said: ‘I love being able to come back to the place, despite the fact I wasn’t born here, for the most part this is my home and this is where I became television star, a rock and roll star.’

Again sounding like he was quitting: ‘This is hard for me to say, very, very, difficult for me to say as much as I really do, do, do love it … Hello Los Angeles, how are you baby?’

The speeches were combined with long pauses where David seemed confused at times hugging his guitar.

In another fan video, the singer tries to start talking again but his band quickly launch into a song to stop him talking.

Cassidy told People he has 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.’

His revelation sent shockwaves across the world, with fans lamenting his diagnosis at such a young age. 

But unfortunately, according Dr Douglas Scharre at Ohio State University, it is not surprising. 

‘If you have a family history, dementia and Alzheimer’s are far more common, and you need to start being conscious of the risk from the age of about 65,’ he told Daily Mail Online. 

‘Anyone with relatives who had dementia should know the key signs, and be monitoring them as early as possible.  

‘David Cassidy was forgetting lyrics. That not typical, especially if you’ve been singing it for many years, and you’re just 66 years old.’

Here, Dr Scharre explains the treatment options and the warning signs in more detail: 

WHY DID CASSIDY FALL OFF THE STAGE?

Cassidy has not given details on the type of dementia he was diagnosed with. 

‘If it’s Alzheimer’s disease, balance typically isn’t a symptom. It’s usually memory and word-finding symptoms that start first.

‘Certain types affect balance, such as Parkinsonian types of dementia.’

The most common type of dementia that affects balance is the kind suffered by Robin Williams, Lewy body dementia (LBD).

LBD is the second most common form of degenerative dementia after Alzheimer’s.

Unlike Alzheimer’s, LBD affects the brain regions responsible for vision – as opposed to memory.

That means sufferers may start with memory loss, but over time the more debilitating symptoms will be powerful hallucinations, nightmares and spatial-awareness problems.

LBD is closely connected to Parkinson’s disease, meaning that many sufferers will develop Parkinson’s as well – as happened to Robin Williams. 

Pop superstar: Cassidy, pictured in London in 1972, found fame on TV’s The Partridge Family and launched a successful solo career that made him a heartthrob around the world

Difficulties: The former teen heartthrob, 66, has a history of battling addiction but on Monday he revealed his current issues are a result of the onset of dementia

WHEN DO SYMPTOMS FIRST HIT?

Normally, for people with a family history, their symptoms will come on at the same time as their relatives.

However, dementia-linked diseases like Alzheimer’s typically come on about 10 years before end-of-life. 

Since Cassidy’s mother died at 89, it’s likely her dementia symptoms started much later than her son’s have done. 

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That is why it is so important to vigilantly check as early as possible, Dr Scharre said. 

WHAT ARE DAVID CASSIDY’S TREATMENT OPTIONS?

Once spotted, Dr Scharre explains, dementia can be treated – though not cured. 

However, treatments are far more effective if dementia or Alzheimer’s is caught in its earliest stages – perhaps even before symptoms fully take hold. 

Treatments include cholinesterase inhibitors, a class of drugs used to help patients think clearly, remember things, and dispel the irritable behavior that will come.

The drugs do this by stopping enzymes from breaking down key communication chemicals (acetylcholines) which travel from one brain cell to another to impart information.

Acetylcholine is in short supply in people with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. 

Studies and human trials have shown cholinesterase inhibitors prevent these chemicals from being destroying so quickly.  

Dr Scharre also mentioned NMDA receptor antagonists, a drug which protects certain brain receptors (called NMDA receptors) from receiving too much calcium.

Health struggles: Cassidy’s mom Evelyn Ward, pictured with him in 1972 at the height of his fame, suffered from dementia until her death at 89 in 2012

Problems: Cassidy has struggled in recent years with financial and legal troubles and said fewer royalties from The Partridge Family and his music contributed to his bankruptcy

An excessive overload of calcium can speed up cell damage, limited brain function. 

One of the best things a young dementia patient can do, however, is to join a clinical trial, Dr Scharre insists. 

‘We are in desperate need of more medicines for dementia. 

‘If you have the willingness or altruism to go into a clinical trial, then do it. 

‘We have such a dirth of medications. If it’s really early, sign up; we need as many participants as possible to get these medicines on the market.’ 

WHAT ARE THE WARNING SIGNS? 

1. FORGETTING RECENT MEMORIES

‘New memories will be the first to go,’ Dr Scharre explains.

‘If you forget a recently-made appointment, or you put something down and forget where it is straight away – that is something to be concerned about.

‘We all have busy lives and forget things, but most of us can re-trace our steps. For someone with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, it will be much harder for them to do so.’

2. FORGETTING NOUNS

‘Word-finding would be another key sign. 

‘It’s not really names of people or movie titles. Dementia is more likely to make you forget nouns.

‘Lesser-used nouns will be the first to go – like “spatula”.’

3. NAVIGATION

‘Everyone should be able to find their way in familiar areas.

If you’re getting lost finding a place that you should know, that’s not normal; that’s not part of the ageing process.’ 

4. LACK OF AWARENESS

‘The biggest issue is that those with Alzheimer’s have decreased insight, so they don’t even see the issue.

‘Unfortunately, that leads to them not getting checked.

‘That’s why you should proactively go to your doctor for screenings, because you may not see the signs.’