David Cassidy’s daughter Katie reveals dad’s touching last words
Katie Cassidy has spoken for the first time about her father David Cassidy, who died of organ failure last Tuesday at the age of 67.
Taking to Twitter, the 30-year-old actress wrote: “Words can’t express the solace our family’s received from all the love & support during this trying time. My father’s last words were ‘So much wasted time.’ This will be a daily reminder for me to share my gratitude with those I love as to never waste another minute… Thank you.”
Katie had a complicated relationship with her father. She was raised by her mother, former model Sherry Williams, and her stepfather, Richard Benedon, but David still played a role in her life.
“Because I didn’t raise her, I didn’t have to parent her,” David told PEOPLE in 2009. “I’m always here and totally nonjudgmental.”
“To be able to go to someone I’m genetically linked to, tell them anything and know that they’re not going to judge me — it’s unbelievable,” Katie said at the time. “It’s nice when your dad can be your friend.”
But over time, the pair drifted apart. In February, David confessed that the two were not longer in contact.
“I wasn’t her father. I was her biological father but I didn’t raise her. She has a completely different life,” he explained. “[But] I’m proud of her. She’s very talented. It’s hard for me to even accept how old she is now.”
In addition to Katie, David is survived by son Beau Cassidy, brothers Shaun, Patrick and Ryan, and stepmother Shirley Jones.