Former teen heartthrob Shaun Cassidy just turned 68. The musician, actor, writer, and director celebrated his birthday on September 27. And just a few days before, he spoke with Somebody Feed Phil’s Phil Rosenthal about returning to the public eye, social media, and why fans think he looks like Shirley Jones.
Cassidy recently sat down with Rosenthal and “Naked Lunch” podcast cohost David Wild, revealing why he left the spotlight: “I stopped touring when I was 21. Astrodome was my last show. Not because I didn’t love touring. I did. I loved performing. Loved singing. But I found that writing and producing TV gave me, frankly, a much better life. I got to stay home. I had kids at a young age. And I love writing.”
Shaun Cassidy. Photo: Michael Tullberg / Getty ImagesMichael Tullberg / Getty Images
The 1970s teen idol and star of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries signed a record deal with Warner Bros. while he was still in high school. With popular tracks like his No. 1 hit “Da Doo Ron Ron” and “That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Cassidy quickly became a household name.
Of course, fame ran in the family. His mother, Shirley Jones, starred in the legendary 1970s musical sitcom The Partridge Family (alongside Cassidy’s half-brother, David Cassidy) and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Elmer Gantry. Cassidy’s father was the Tony Award and Emmy-nominated actor Jack Cassidy.
Cassidy married his first wife, Ann Pennington, in 1979, at the young age of 21. Two years later, daughter Caitlin Cassidy was born. The pair had a son, Jake (John) Cassidy, in 1985. He married his second wife, Susan Diol, in 1995, and his third wife, Tracey Lynne Turner, in 2004. The singer and Turner have four children together: Caleb, Roan, Lila, and Mairin.
After years working behind the camera as a writer and director, Cassidy finally decided to make a comeback. Or in his words, “I don’t want to come back. I want to go forward. Always go forward.” He started playing smaller venues, peppering his set with nostalgic classic hits and personal stories. The tour was a smash, and there Cassidy was again…back in the spotlight.
“This whole thing is a very new part of my life now. I never did it this way the first time. Because I was playing those big arenas,” he told Rosenthal, adding, “But the weird part of it is I’m kind of a public figure again. And I’m reminded that not all of that public figure business is good news for your life. It’s not bad.”
Things have changed a lot in the past four decades, as the now-68-year-old notes, “It’s sort of like Rip Van Winkle. At 21 I went to sleep, and I woke up at 60 and like, ‘Oh, this is what it’s like to be a public figure in your 60s,’ where there’s whole generations, maybe two generations who have no idea who you are. And the one that does know hasn’t seen you in a thousand years. ‘Yeah, looks more like Shirley Jones now. But yeah.’”
Shaun Cassidy Talks Fame and Social Media
Back in the 1970s, fans had to grab a copy of Tiger Beat or 16 Magazine to catch a glimpse of Cassidy. But fame in 2026 is a whole new ballgame.
“For me it feels like a responsibility. And that’s probably my problem. But you know if you’re going to be a celebrity or you care about being a public figure in 2026, you have to service that. I mean, I’m on social media, and I’m only on social media because 12 years ago I had a show on Amazon. I wasn’t on anything, and they said you have to be on Twitter or you have to be on Instagram or whatever to promote the show,” explained Cassidy.
He added, “My life has been greatly enriched by this relationship I have with this audience who have been incredible to me. Because they’ve shown up after a very long time. And encouraged me. They’re the ones who encouraged me to do it in the first place. If you do it, we’ll be there. And they have been…But now if I don’t post something on a Sunday, I feel a little guilty.”
At 68, Cassidy continues to wow screaming fans with a jam-packed tour schedule. Click here to see if he’s coming to a town near you!
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