Partridge Family Star Susan Dey's First Heartbreak Was Reportedly From Her Teen Co-Star

Susan Dey had every girl's dream job when she starred alongside teen heartthrob David Cassidy during the four-season reign of the hit '70s sitcom, "The Partridge Family." Dey played Lauren Partridge, the trendy sister of the show's fan-fave Keith Partridge (Cassidy), but despite their family ties onscreen, Dey allegedly had hopes of brewing something more when the cameras weren't rolling. Cassidy claimed in his 1994 memoir, "Cmon, Get Happy," that Dey was "hopelessly in love with him" but her girl-next-door appeal "did not work" for him (via Remind Magazine). "Susan Dey was the one who really had a thing for me," Cassidy wrote (via Woman's World). "And I felt badly that I didn't reciprocate, because I didn't want to take advantage of her, and I also didn't feel that way about her."

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Shirley Jones, who played family matriarch Shirley Partridge, backed up Cassidy's claims in her self-titled memoir in 2013. "Susan Dey fell madly in love with David Cassidy, but David didn't reciprocate her feelings," Jones wrote (via Woman's World). "He didn't treat her well during that time, and it broke her heart." 

Dey's breaking point may have come when she, according to Cassidy, revealed her feelings to him, which resulted in a "brief sexual encounter [that] was pretty unsuccessful," he wrote in his memoir. "Sexually — I never had that hunger for her." Dey never commented on Cassidy's memoir claims, and Cassidy said that the last time he saw her was when they appeared at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards. He said he sent Dey a letter to try to smooth things over, but he never heard back. However, Dey was able to put her hurt feelings aside following Cassidy's passing in 2017, and she was in attendance at a private memorial for her former co-star. 

On "The Partridge Family," Susan Dey became a fixture of early 1970s pop culture. She highlighted many popular styles of the era (not unlike other celebrities who shaped jewelry trends in the '70s). Her long, flowing brunette locks were particularly popular at the time, and it's one of many iconic '70s hairstyles that work just as well in 2026. With the trendy styles she flaunted on the show, it's no wonder her star took off.

"The Partridge Family" was a breakthrough in Dey's career, and by the 1980s, she continued her TV reign with a starring role on "L.A. Law", securing a Golden Globe in 1988. Despite the success that "The Partridge Family" brought her, Dey rarely took part in any reunions, unlike her other former castmates, and she seemed to want to leave the show behind her. The only time fans got their taste of "Partridge Family" nostalgia from Dey was when she appeared alongside David Cassidy at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards.

While there have been claims that her distance was due to Cassidy's memoir, Danny Bonaduce, who played Danny Partridge, shared his belief that reliving the show might've been unpleasant for Dey. "I thought it was like a real bad thing of bad memories. It's just not her thing," Bonaduce said on the "Pop Culture Retro" podcast, adding, "She just doesn't want to be famous." He seems to be right, as Dey stopped acting in 2004, and according to Bonaduce, she's enjoying a quiet life working a normal job away from Hollywood. The time away from show business has done her well, and Susan Dey still looks great decades after "The Partridge Family."