HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM & DAVID CASSIDY!

This week marked the birthdays of my Mom and David Cassidy- two very different people in so many ways yet people I remember fondly.

April 11th was Mom's birthday. She would've been 99 had she lived.She died in 2013 at the ripe age of 93. She led a full life and in her later years she was beset by numerous health problems, including heart disease. She died of a massive stroke six years ago.

Ironic that her heart was so-called "diseased" because to me she had a heart of  gold. The more caring, loving person I have ever met. She loved me so much, as well as all my siblings, and raised us after Dad died in 1977. She truly was the Rock of the family.

Her heart was generous and kind. If a friend were in the hospital they would get a visit from Mom, even if she was busy or not feeling well, or at least a get well card. A freshly baked cake or a steammimg pot of soup would be homemade by Mom for family of  a friend or a neighbor who had died.

I say her heart was "blessed" instead. She was a saint.

We had a surprise party when she turned 80, then again when she turned 90. We planned on 100 and I recall her saying "Oh, I'll never make it til then."

Her memory will never die. Her heart of gold will live forever. Happy Birthday Mom!

- April 12th was singer David Cassidy's birthday. He would've been 69 had he lived. He died two years ago

Cassidy will always be remembered for his role as Keith Partridge on The Partridge Family and for his music. He soon because the teenage idol of his generation because of the great bubblegum-pop, songs like "I Think I Love You" and his good looks.

I had been a fan, collecting Partridge records. Every teenage guy about that time wanted to be David, the popular, good-looking guy who always got the girls.

I actually saw Cassidy in concert around 1992-3 when his self-titled great album was released. The single "Lyin' To Myself" made the U.S. Top 20 charts, but before the album could take off or a second single could catch-on, his record label literally folded up.

Cassidy was doing a bunch of really small venue concerts, including Hershey Park in their amphitheater. ( talk about really small venues!), so, included with the price of admission to the park, was the concert.

Actually there were a pair of shows, each lasting a little over an hour, about 45 minutes apart. I stayed for both. They were fun, hearing the old songs plus the new ones from his underrated album released recently. After playing to literally thousands of screaming fans everywhere around the world, in huge venues such as Wembley Stadium in London, it had to be somewhat of a comedown for David to be battling the sound of a nearby roller coaster while a few hundred fans watched.

I taped both shows and now would give anything to have those recordings back. Sadly, they were trashed one spring cleaning when cassettes went out of style.

I was sad to hear of Cassidy's struggles late in his life with alcohol, relationships and finances. He claimed he has the onset of Alzheimer's but this was disputed.

Still, I'll always remember Cassidy as a young guy, full of life and happiness, because that's the way he made me feel.

Happy Birthday, David!