FORMER ’70s heartthrob David Cassidy was blindsided by his wife’s divorce suit, and friends fear their split will send him deeper into a self-destructive tailspin!
Sue Shifrin-Cassidy, 64, decided to end the couple’s 23-year marriage after the “Partridge Family” star, 63, racked up his third DUI arrest, a source says.
“Sue couldn’t get away from David fast enough,” his “stepdad,” veteran actor Marty Ingels, told The ENQUIRER.
“The marriage had been shaky for years. Their financial situation is the only thing that kept it going.”
According to Ingels, Sue – who works with the cosmetics company Arbonne – had been concerned about incurring huge legal fees in a divorce as well as David trying to get a chunk of her money.
But a source says David’s out-of-control drinking pushed her over the edge.
“Sue’s been begging David to get help with his boozing for years,” said an insider.
“She’s told him that their marriage depends on it, but he just hasn’t been able to get a handle on it.
“He’s able to stop drinking for short periods of time, but he always ends up running right back to the bottle. Booze has been David’s biggest demon, and now it’s cost him the most important thing in his life – his family.”
The “I Think I Love You” singer was first arrested for DUI in 2010 in St. Lucie County, Fla. He was busted again in August 2013 in upstate New York, and on Jan. 10 he was arrested in L.A. after allegedly making an illegal turn and blowing .19 on a Breathalyzer test – more than twice the legal limit.
Although the couple has reportedly been separated since last summer, Sue filed for divorce on Feb. 11. She’s moving from their home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Los Angeles to be near their son, 22-year-old Beau.
As The ENQUIRER has reported, pals fear Cassidy – who is worth around $5 million – could be dead within months.
The singer recently completed rehab, but it looks like even that won’t save his marriage.
“What David doesn’t realize is the effect that his problems have on other members of his family,” Ingels, 77, added.
Ingels, who married David’s stepmom Shirley Jones in 1977, said David’s alcohol problem has also impacted his career.
“Shirley and David were hired to do an automobile commercial together, but as soon as he got a DUI, they canceled it,” said Ingels.
“David has gone off the deep end. I think his only salvation will be jail.”
