David Cassidy tribute concert held in Saratoga Springs
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (WRGB) - "At 19 years old, you're on a TV set working with the top people on the planet!" said Craig Snider.
He was an idol of the 70s, a teen actor and talented musician.
David Cassidy charmed fans around the world on The Partridge Family as heartthrob Keith Partridge, and still made them swoon more than 40 years after the show's last season.
"'No! No? No! Is it you?' They pull out their phones and they're taking pictures and, 'Will you sign?' You know?'" Snider recalled.
But the star struggled with addiction, which ultimately contributed to his death in November 2017 at age 67.
Craig Snider says he was by Cassidy's side in the hospital.
"Watching someone that you love be in such a condition that you knew, you just knew, that it was time and it was very painful, very hard."
Snider says he met Cassidy in 2007, when he was hired by a record label to remix The Partridge Family's greatest hits.
Snider says he played with Cassidy in his band for about a decade.
"He was the real deal. A true musician. 100 percent," Snider said.
Tuesday night, Snider and the band played together for the first time since Cassidy's death.
They performed at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs and featured songs from Cassidy's final EP, which Snider says was bittersweet.
"It's pretty emotional because he's not here."
But Snider says Cassidy lives on through his music, and through the memories he soundtracked for listeners.
"Think about it. I'm sure you have songs you listen to and they take you to wherever it was at that moment, and so for him, it was like he was the originator of that for a whole generation of people that he touched," Snider explained.
Proceeds from the concert benefit the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, an organization close to Cassidy's heart.
The actor owned horses and was a fan and frequent visitor of the Saratoga Race Course.
