David Cassidy And Danny Bonaduce: Inside The Real-Life Brotherhood Of ‘The Partridge Family’ Stars

David Cassidy is fighting for his life in a Florida hospital, and his health crisis has brought his family to his side. The 67-year-old Partridge Family star was rushed to the hospital late last week with liver and kidney failure, then was moved to ICU over the weekend as his condition deteriorated. A source told TMZ that a transplant would now be “futile.”

David Cassidy has three half-brothers: Patrick, Ryan, and Shaun Cassidy who have been supporting him through his health crisis. The four brothers are all the sons of late actor Jack Cassidy. A source told People David was very happy when his brother Patrick showed up at his Fort Lauderdale hospital room.

“When his brother Patrick walked into the room, David lit up like a Christmas tree,” the insider told People. “[The family] will always be there for him.”

In addition, David’s famous brother Shaun thanked fans on social media for all of their prayers for The Partridge Family heartthrob.

“Thank you for all your love and good wishes for David,” Shaun wrote. “It means the world to all of us.”

But there’s another man who considers David Cassidy a brother, even though they are not related by blood—and that’s his Partridge Family co-star Danny Bonaduce. Bonaduce also hit social media to ask fans to pray for his “brother” David Cassidy.

I’m a big believer in the power of prayers. Please keep my brother David Cassidy in yours. Thanks for all the love and support.

— Danny Bonaduce (@TheDoochMan) November 19, 2017

David Cassidy and Danny Bonaduce have had a long and sometimes complicated friendship. Their age difference—Cassidy is nine years older than his TV brother—meant they didn’t have much in common when working together on The Partridge Family set. In his 2007 book Could It be Forever?, David Cassidy revealed that Bonaduce lost his virginity to a groupie who had come to meet him on the Partridge Family set. David also defended Danny, who, like him, went through a period of addiction and personal turmoil.

“You could see he was heading for trouble and later in life, he was arrested for trying to buy crack cocaine on a street corner,” David revealed in an excerpt from the book posted by the Daily Mail. “Then he got into trouble for beating and robbing a transvestite prostitute in Phoenix, Arizona. I still really like him and think he deserves forgiveness.”

In 2013, David Cassidy talked about his friendship with Danny Bonaduce on the OWN update show Oprah: Where are they Now? Cassidy addressed the pitfalls of child stardom, saying his TV brother “went through a very, very difficult period” for many years after Hollywood rejected him.

“Danny and I have seen one another, we saw each other a lot until last year when he moved to Seattle with his wife,” David said at the time. “His wife is a beautiful person — just straightened his butt out big time. He’s now, ‘Yes, dear.’ He finally grew up and we’ve been friends. I love him. He’s a really good human being. He’s extremely talented.”

Danny Bonaduce has also talked about his friendship with David Cassidy. Earlier this year, after David revealed he had been diagnosed with dementia, Danny took to social media to ask fans to support his TV brother.

“David Cassidy once had a bigger fan club than Elvis & the Beatles,” Danny tweeted. “If you’re a fan, now is a great time to send him your love & best wishes.”

David Cassidy once had a bigger fan club than Elvis & the Beatles. If you're a fan, now is a great time to send him your love & best wishes.

— Danny Bonaduce (@TheDoochMan) February 21, 2017

At the time, Bonaduce admitted to Access Hollywood he was shocked to hear his David Cassidy’s health announcement, which came after the singer was filmed stumbling and forgetting his lyrics during a concert. Danny revealed that he and David had many conversations about their mutual commitment to sobriety.

“I didn’t know he was suffering from any kind of dementia,” Bonaduce told Access.

“I was reading in the newspapers and seeing on TV that he was having a drinking problem, which I found shocking. I’ve known the guy my whole life and never saw him have a drink, and all of the sudden at the age of 60 he develops this problem. And now I can see it might have been a coping mechanism.”

Bonaduce, who now works as a Seattle radio host, added that Cassidy has been as much a brother to him as his two real-life brothers. He also credits David Cassidy with helping him beat his own drug and alcohol addiction.

You can see David Cassidy and Danny Bonaduce performing on The Partridge Family in the video below.

[Featured Image by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]