On This Day in 1972, David Cassidy Shocked Fans With a Revealing Cover Photo on ‘Rolling Stone’

At the start of David Cassidy’s career, he was best known for playing Keith Partridge in The Partridge Family. Naturally, with his sweet looks and appeal to 1970s audiences full of teenage girls, he became a bit of an idol during that era. 

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However, Cassidy was in his 20s in the 1970s, and he was eager to shed the cutesy image that only really seemed to appeal to one small demographic of viewers. Likewise, he was eager to kick off his music career.

So, a few months after the release of his debut pop album Cherish, Cassidy decided to do something radical to change the way he was viewed by the broader scope of American audiences. 

David Cassidy Sought To Change His Teenybopper Image, and the ‘Rolling Stone’ Cover Definitely Helped

On May 11, 1972, David Cassidy appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. However, nobody expected him to appear on the cover shirtless and pantless in a photo shot by Annie Leibovitz.

Cruising on the success of his debut pop album, Cassidy appeared on the cover and spoke with the magazine in a story titled “Naked Lunch Box”. The interview’s headline referenced the fact that a lot of children had Cassidy’s image plastered on their school lunch boxes. 

It was a controversial move for the time. However, it was a bit of a cultural phenomenon. Cassidy stepped out of the limiting view that a lot of people had of him at the time. The photo was a big fat “I’m an adult” statement to the world, and the interview itself was also particularly revealing. In the interview, Cassidy talked about using drugs and other adult themes. Coupled with that revealing cover photo, he set a trend for young stars who wanted to break out of the teen idol box.

David Cassidy would go on to enjoy a lucrative music career, long after The Partridge Family ended. Following Cherish, he released Rock Me Baby that same year. That record had a bit more of a rock and R&B vibe to it. In total, Cassidy released 12 studio albums well into the 21st century.

Photo by Ellidge/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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