Danny from ‘The Partridge Family’ Appears Weeks after Brain Surgery — He Couldn’t Speak or Walk & Was Misdiagnosed

• Danny Bonaduce from "The Partridge Family" slept in a car for a few years after the end of the show.
• Bonaduce went through a health crisis and couldn't speak or walk.
• The actor appeared in a new photo shared by his wife, who gave an update on his health after brain surgery.

Danny Bonaduce became a child star when he played the cute redhead kid on "The Partridge Family." He grew up with an angry dad and found solace and a sense of belonging as Danny Partridge with his TV family.

On the TV show, Danny Partridge was a wise-cracking middle kid who always loved making people laugh. Bonaduce was devastated when the show ended, as his safe place was also taken away from him, and life took a different turn.

The actor said his situation was terrible after "The Partridge Family" ended because he had nowhere to go and nothing to do. He wasn't being hired and had no skills, which Bonaduce recalled led to "really not-great times."

Bonaduce's state got desperate, and he fell into Hollywood mishaps of drugs, alcohol, rehab, and back again. He narrated:

"Yeah I lived in my car on and off for a couple years. That was weird, and the drugs just got out of control, alcohol which stayed out of control for 20 years."

The actor confessed that he even became a professional manic for a while. People who knew him as a child star would point at him in the streets and say, look, there's the actor from "The Partridge Family."

Bonaduce's co-star David Cassidy helped the actor turn his life around. Cassidy took him on a tour with no alcohol, drugs, or women. Though Bonaduce was reluctant to go on the tour at first, a relentless Cassidy convinced him to go.

Cassidy asked Bonaduce to show up in time during the tour and be very funny so that by the time it ended, he would have a job. Luckily, a manager approached him, told Bonaduce he was great, and gave him a job on the radio.

Cassidy, who had been diagnosed with dementia, died in 2017 from kidney failure, and Bonaduce still remembers him as his big brother. The "Bigfoot" actor also went through a major health struggle.

What Happened with Danny Bonaduce's Health?

Bonaduce battled with a mystery illness that started in April 2022. The actor's wife, Amy, noticed that his speech was off and reached out for help immediately.

The "Corvette Summer" actor said he couldn't walk and couldn't balance. He noted that Amy looked scared when she told him, "You're not saying words, you're not speaking English."

Bonaduce said when he met Amy, he was "in bad bad shape," and he didn't understand why she stayed, but he was glad she did because she showed him that something in life was worth the effort.

When help arrived, the ambulance took him to the hospital, where he spent five days, but he doesn't recall much of what happened in those days.

The mystery illness forced Bonaduce to take medical leave from his Seattle-based radio show. He shared with his fans on social media that he wasn't well but was still working on getting a diagnosis. Bonaduce told them he needed the time off to focus on his health.

Doctors said Bonaduce's state wasn't caused by a stroke, but they still didn't have a diagnosis. He underwent hospitalization and testing, but none of these led to a conclusive answer. Bonaduce opened up and shared:

"I slurred really badly. I was afraid of everything. I was afraid of my stairs for God's sake, I was hoping for a diagnosis but did not get one."

Bonaduce's issue with his health started due to his addiction problems. However, after living a hard and fast life, he became sober. Two months after his mysterious illness, the actor went back to work.

He now tries to convince his listeners to take good care of their health and adds that he was grateful for all the love and support he received when ill.

Bonaduce's wife, who helped the actor get his life in order after they met at Starbucks, recently gave a health update on the TV star.

How Does Danny Bonaduce Look Now after Brain Surgery?

Bonaduce was diagnosed with hydrocephalus after several tests and appointments where doctors couldn't find what was wrong with him.

Amy tweeted an update on his health and said the actor was doing well. She said Bonaduce, who had issues with walking and balance, underwent brain surgery as treatment. As per Amy, two weeks after the surgery, Bonaduce was walking, back on air, and doing well.

Hydrocephalus is a neurological disorder that causes a build-up of fluid in the brain, and the condition's symptoms look like that of Alzheimer's disease.

Patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus are estimated to be 1 million in the US. They present with symptoms such as dementia, gait disorder, and urinary incontinence. Some patients have a brain hemorrhage, trauma, or brain infection.

These patients are often misdiagnosed with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease, and their symptoms can be dismissed as normal aging signs due to how nonspecific they are.

On June 6, 2023, Amy tweeted an update to Bonaduce's fans. She shared that the actor had gone into surgery, which went according to plan, but she also confessed that it had been a long day.

Bonaduce also shared his own tweet that reassured his fans, "I lived." He also posted a picture of himself on June 11, 2023, where he was at the gym exercising. He captioned it, "On the road to recovery."

On June 16, 2023, Amy gave another update on Bonaduce when she tweeted a picture of the actor in Seattle on an outing. Bonaduce sat in a restaurant and looked ready to enjoy his meal.

The 63-year-old was dressed in a striped black and white shirt, grey jumper, and black beanie. He smiled slightly at the camera and looked well in his recovery journey. Amy wrote, "Look who's out and about."

Amy and Bonaduce have been together through happy and difficult times. The pair have been married for 12 years. The actor has been sober for the past 11 years. He confessed that Amy helped him stay sober:

"Every one said, You have to do it for yourself, you can't do it for somebody else, lies lies lies. I flat out did it for Amy, and when that seemed to go alright every day I worked on it."

Bonaduce said when he met Amy, he was "in bad bad shape," and he didn't understand why she stayed, but he was glad she did because she showed him that something in life was worth the effort.

Today, Bonaduce and his wife enjoy their time together in Seattle, where the actor co-hosts a morning talk show and music show for KZOK-FM, a classic rock station.

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