Doctors warn 'the end is near' for Partridge Family heartthrob David Cassidy

Partridge Family heartthrob David Cassidy remains in a critical state after being hospitalised this week and sources have now told US media outlet TMZ that the end is near.

On Saturday (18 November), Cassidy's publicist JoAnn Geffen told the Associated Press (AP) that he had been taken to in a Fort Lauderdale-area hospital with liver and kidney failure, adding that he was in a private room, conscious and surrounded by close family.

She said that doctors were hoping to "keep him as well as they can until they can find another liver".

But TMZ has now reported that his condition has deteriorated to the point he is breathing through a tube and has been moved to an intensive care unit (ICU).

The website said that doctors now believe "prospects are grim". It quoted one unnamed source saying: "There's really no issue anymore for a transplant. It's futile."

Prior to the news, his representative confirmed to US media outlets that Cassidy was rushed to the Florida hospital on Wednesday (15 November).

The 67-year-old former teen idol, who lives in the Fort Lauderdale area, said earlier this year that he was struggling with memory loss and that he was ending his 50-year career.

Cassidy has had numerous personal problems in the decades following his initial success, ranging from substance abuse to bankruptcy.

He's the stepson of actress and fellow Partridge Family star Shirley Jones. Reports of Cassidy's hospitalisation prompted a flood of supportive comments on social media.

His half-brother Shaun Cassidy, also a former actor and singer and now a TV producer, tweeted Wednesday afternoon: "Thank you for all your love and good wishes for David. It means the world to all of us."

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