Yes,i have heard this too.
Cassidy died a gruesome death by fire...smoking in bed.

Oh...this is telling.
I saw a clip of the episode of THIS IS YOUR LIFE
that spotlighted Shirley Jones.
It was during PARTRIDGE FAMILY years,
and they surprised her on the set...
Anyhow, they drag out all of Shirley's kids,
and friends,
and of course Jack Cassidy.
In the clip, he not only got the number of years
they had been married wrong (it was 15, and he
said 12 or something)...but also their anniversary.
On national tv, too.
Nice hubby, eh?