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David Cassidy is battling dementia.

The 66-year-old actor, widely known for his starring role as Keith Partridge on the 1970s series The Partridge Family, reveals to PEOPLE that he is fighting the memory loss disease.

Cassidy, who watched his grandfather battlethe disease and witnessed his mother disappear into dementia until she died at age 89, tells PEOPLE of his diagnosis:I was in denial, but a part of me always knew this was coming.

Of his mothers struggles, Cassidy recalls:In the end, the only way I knew she recognized me is with one single tear that would drop from her eye every time I walked into the room. I feared I would end up that way.

Now that hes come to terms with his condition, Cassidy has made the decision to stop touring as a musician to concentrateon his health and happiness.I want to focus on what I am, who I am and how Ive been without any distractions, he says. I want to love. I want to enjoy life.

Cassidys revelationfollows a roller coaster of personal ups and downs that the actor has faced in the past decade, includinga show in Agoura Hills, California, this past weekend whereCassidy repeatedly struggled to remember lyrics to songs he had been singing for nearly 50years.

In November 2010, he was charged with a DUI and was subsequently charged with the same offense in August 2013 and January 2014. A month after his third arrest, his wife, Sue Shifrin-Cassidy, filed for divorce. In February 2015, the actor filed for bankruptcy and was charged following his hit-and-run eight months later in October 2015.

The 70s teen heartthrob has also battled substance abuse issues, including a stint in rehab in 2014.

Cassidy, who received an Emmy nomination for his appearance on Police Story in 1978, was most recently seen on TV in a 2013 episode ofCSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

With NATALIE STONE

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David Cassidy Reveals He Is Battling Dementia: 'A Part of Me Always Knew This Was Coming' - PEOPLE.com