A Look At Hallmark's Katie Cassidy's Complicated Relationship With Her Late Father David
Katie Cassidy joined the Hallmark family by debuting in the Christmas in July movie "A Royal Christmas Crush" alongside Stephen Huszar. Though this is her first appearance on the network, the celeb already has quite a long Hollywood resume, starring in several 2000s horror films before landing a leading role in the CW's "Arrow."
She's also known for being the daughter of model Sherry Williams and actor and musician David Cassidy. If you're unfamiliar, David Cassidy is known for his role as Keith Partridge in the classic sitcom "The Partridge Family," which led to his massive success as a teen pop idol beginning in the '70s. Though David passed away in 2017 from organ failure, fans of Katie may wonder about the relationship she had with such an iconic father.
The truth is that the two appeared to have a somewhat complicated relationship, experiencing both highs and lows throughout Katie's childhood and adult success. Here's what we know about the father-daughter duo.
Katie was primarily raised by her mother
Katie Cassidy was born out of an extra-marital affair between David Cassidy and Shirley Williams. Growing up, she was primarily cared for by her mother and her stepdad, Richard Benedon, though she also has a relationship with her second stepdad. In an interview with Us Weekly, she revealed that she was already in the fourth grade by the time she met her biological father.
While the two did not have a close relationship during Katie's childhood, the father-daughter duo shared with People in 2009 that it allowed them to form a unique relationship later in life. "Because I didn't raise her, I didn't have to parent her. I'm always here and totally nonjudgmental," David explained.
"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 noted in the interview. "It's nice when your dad can be your friend." In this way, the two were able to form a positive relationship during Katie's adult life, but it appears their relationship wasn't always positive.
David did not include Katie in his will
As mentioned, Katie Cassidy's relationship with her father David was filled with ups and downs. While the two did have a good relationship at some points during the actor's adult life, they were also seemingly estranged during others. By the time David was hospitalized in 2017 for liver failure, he wasn't speaking to his daughter.
On top of this, the father and daughter's relationship made headlines following his death, as it was revealed that he specifically left Katie out of his will. According to People, the document, drafted in 2004, stated, "It is my specific intent not to provide any benefits hereunder to Katherine Evelyn Cassidy."
While we don't know the details about Katie and David's tumultuous connection, we do know that it didn't prevent the actor from being by her father's side at the end of his life. Following David's death, Katie wrote in a now-deleted tweet, "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."