Shaun Cassidy had the screaming fans, the hit record and the television stardom.Then, at 21, he walked away from it all.The former teen heartthrob revealed why he stopped touring at the height of his fame, saying the celebrity lifestyle had become less appealing than staying home, raising his children and creating television behind the scenes."I stopped touring when I was 21.
Astrodome was my last show — not because I didn't love touring.I did, I loved performing, loved singing, but I found that writing and producing TV gave me, frankly, a much better life," he shared on the "Naked Lunch" podcast.That decision came after Cassidy had already become one of the biggest teen stars of the late 1970s.
His 1977 self-titled debut album spawned the No.1 hit "Da Doo Ron Ron," while his role as Joe Hardy on ABC's "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries" made him a familiar face in homes across America.FORMER TEEN IDOL SHAUN CASSIDY CALLS OUT FATHER AS ‘PHONY’ AFTER GROWING UP ALONE IN HOLLYWOOD SPOTLIGHTFormer teen idol Shaun Cassidy says growing up in the Hollywood spotlight left him feeling alone.
(John Atashian/Getty Images; Brad Elterman/Getty Images)But Cassidy wasn't interested in spending the rest of his life inside the teen-idol machine."I got to stay home.I had kids at a young age.
And I love writing," he said about his decision to give up touring.For Cassidy, writing and producing offered something performing couldn't."I was a magician as a really young kid … when you write something, it's like magic.You pulled something out of the air and 200 people have a job on a sound stage."FORMER TEEN IDOL SHAUN CASSIDY HAD TO RELEARN HIS OWN HITS FOR FIRST MAJOR TOUR IN 45 YEARSShaun Cassidy opened up about childhood, family struggles and the career path that changed his life.
(Brad Elterman/FilmMagic)By the mid-1990s, Cassidy had largely traded the stage for the writers' room and producer's chair, working on shows including "American Gothic," "Roar" and "New Amsterd...