All About Shirley Jones' 4 Sons and 13 Grandchildren — and Their Hollywood Careers

Actress Shirley Jones celebrated her 90th birthday in March 2024 with her children and grandchildren by her side

Shirley Jones is the matriarch of a large family both on-screen and off.

The Partridge Family actress, who turned 90 on March 31, is a mother of four sons and a grandmother to 13. She first became a mother after marrying Jack Cassidy in 1956, who had a son, David Cassidy, from a previous relationship. During their marriage, Shirley and Jack welcomed three more sons: Shaun Cassidy, Patrick Cassidy and Ryan Cassidy.

All four of Shirley's children followed her into show business, and Shirley and David starred on The Partridge Family together in the '70s. David became a wildly popular teen heartthrob with a prolific music career. Shaun appeared in The Hardy Boys Mysteries and achieved pop idol status, later becoming a producer and writer. Patrick became a Broadway star, even acting opposite his mother on stage. Ryan also works in the industry, but mostly behind the scenes — he has worked in the art department on shows like The King of Queens and Bill Nye’s MasterClass miniseries.

Shirley's sons have also made her a grandmother 13 times over. David, who died in 2017, welcomed daughter Katie Cassidy, with model Sherry Williams in 1986, and son Beau Cassidy, with his third wife, Sue Shifrin, in 1991.

Shaun has eight children from his three marriages. After marrying model Ann Pennington, he gained a stepdaughter, Jessica, born in 1970. Shaun and Pennington had two kids: Caitlin, born in 1981, and Jake, born in 1985. With his second wife, Susan Diol, he welcomed Juliet in 1998. Since 2004, Shaun has been married to his third wife, Tracey Lynne Turner. They have four kids: Caleb, born in 2005; Roan, born in 2006; Lila, born in 2008; and Mairin, born in 2011.

The youngest Cassidy brothers have three kids between them. Patrick and his wife, Melissa Hurley, have sons Cole, born in 1995, and Jack, born in 2000. Ryan and his wife, Bonnie, have a daughter, Meghan Mae, born in 2011.

In 2024, the family came together to celebrate the actress's 90th birthday on March 31. Shaun shared photos from the intimate gathering on Instagram and wrote on his website, "In a journey full of dramatic highs and lows, mom has always been an optimist and a lover of life."

He also added that while the public knows Shirley from her iconic films and extensive television work, "to us, her family, Shirley Jones has always simply been mom." 

Here’s everything to know about Shirley Jones’ children and grandchildren.

Shirley and David starred in The Partridge Family in the 1970s

David grew up with his mother, Evelyn Ward, on the East Coast and moved to Los Angeles when he was 11. After graduating high school, he briefly moved back to New York but was back in L.A. by 1970 and was quickly cast in The Partridge Family alongside his stepmother in the role that would make him a global superstar.

The show ran for four seasons, during which David was also on tour as a singer, selling 25 million albums over just five years, according to UPI. After the show was canceled, he focused on music. David later stepped away from show business for several years but eventually returned to performing.

Shaun became a superstar when he was young

Like his older brother, Shaun started acting and singing right out of high school. In 1977, he began starring in The Hardy Boys Mysteries and performed for crowds of thousands. At the height of his teen fame, Shaun had to run straight from the stage into a limo, driving away before the house lights even came on, to avoid hordes of fans. Other times, he disguised himself as a police officer and drove a patrol car to a venue — another way to avoid throngs of fans ready to throw themselves on his vehicle.

Unlike his older brother, who was admittedly uncomfortable with his teen heartthrob status, Shaun embraced the role with a sense of humor. In 2020, he launched his wine brand, My First Crush, which benefits the No Kid Hungry campaign and is made with a winemaker near his home in Santa Barbara County, Calif.

David and Shaun starred together on Broadway

In 1993, David and Shaun appeared together in Blood Brothers, a Broadway musical about English twins separated at birth.

“We don’t have traditional sibling rivalry,” Shaun told PEOPLE, “but we’re close.”

They also understood the very unique experience of being a teen idol. “We shared a mutual experience that is kind of unique,” Shaun added. “We compared notes. But I had an advantage: I saw him go through it.”

Even 20 years after they shot to fame, both Cassidy brothers drew huge crowds of fans hoping to meet the stars. “It’s a little embarrassing,” David added. “But very gratifying, to see what an effect you had on people.”

Shirley and Patrick have also appeared on Broadway together multiple times

Unlike his older brothers, Patrick focused on the theater rather than trying his hand at pop stardom.

“My brothers didn’t want me to do just music and I didn’t either,” Patrick told PEOPLE in 1981. “They don’t regret the whole teeny thing — they had fun — but they said if I wanted to be an actor, the theater was the best place for me.”

In 1982, Patrick made his Broadway debut in The Pirates of Penzance. He later appeared in 42nd Street with his mother. Shirley and Patrick have performed in several iterations of The Music Man, including on a concert tour in 2014. The classic Golden Age musical was especially fitting for the duo — Shirley was pregnant with Patrick when she shot the film adaptation in 1961.

In an interview with VC On Stage, Shirley recalled that Patrick once kicked her when she was embracing her costar, Robert Preston, while filming.

Patrick’s son Jack appeared on The Voice

Patrick’s son Jack was a contestant on The Voice when he was just 17, despite his family trying to protect him from the industry.

"In the beginning, I was not very happy with him going into show business," Shirley said on the show, per Entertainment Tonight. "But, when I saw him sit down at a piano — I didn't even know he could play the piano. Then he started to sing, and I thought, 'You know what? This is a voice that's really remarkable.' "

Jack has continued his singing career, writing original Christian music, such as “Let Go, Let God.”

Katie is an accomplished actor

David’s daughter, Katie, has made a big splash on the small screen, having starred in Arrow and Supernatural, among other shows. In 2022, Katie made her feature directorial debut with a movie called Daddy Issues. She told PEOPLE that she drew from her life experience of having three father figures: her father David; her stepfather Richard Benedon; and her sister’s father, who was also a role model in her life.

"I think it's just a matter of stepping into this space, like this is who I am and this is the family I come from. And I'm proud of it," Katie told PEOPLE in 2022. "And I have three dads and I have a complicated situation, but you know what? I'm grateful I'm still here and that we're all still here."

David died of liver failure in 2017

On Nov. 21, 2017, David died of organ failure in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. surrounded by loved ones. He was 67.

The actor struggled with alcohol abuse, which he publically admitted in 2008. He also had a short stint in rehab in 2014 to overcome his battles with substance abuse.

"There had been many family issues because of his alcoholism, but they are all reuniting in support of him," a source close to David told PEOPLE. "He was delighted to see them."

After David's death, Patrick told PEOPLE of his brother, “No one made me laugh like David. We spent our final days together just laughing. David told me, ‘You’re so damn handsome!’ and I replied, ‘I’m just taller.’ ”

Ryan wrote a children's book about his unique upbringing

After growing up in Hollywood and having a career working behind the scenes in the entertainment industry, Ryan published a children's book, James Cagney Was My Babysitter, in March 2023. The book was inspired by an afternoon he spent with Oscar-winning actor James Cagney as a kid.

"I would meet a lot of people that would come up to me through the years and say, 'I grew up watching your brother. I grew up watching your mother, and you must have really met a lot of interesting people in your life,' " Ryan told PEOPLE. "And I have met a lot of interesting people, a lot of fun people, a lot of incredibly talented people, and they've often said, ‘You ought to write a book about it.’ "

Shirley wrote the foreword and afterword of the book, which is aimed at a young audience and is about the power of a good mentor. "I would say I'm proud of my family," Ryan added. "I'm my own person, and I am where I'm at in life because I have learned through whatever I went through to get to where I'm at. And I'm proud of who I am, but I'm not my family. I'm my own person."

Shaun returned to performing in 2019

In 2019, Shaun returned to performing, touring his autobiographical solo show The Magic of a Midnight Sky. Shaun’s nephew Cole Cassidy joined the tour as a musician in 2021, and the Hardy Boys actor sold out a five-night run of the show at New York City’s 54 Below in June 2023.

“I missed that connection because I’d been hiding out behind a desk or in my house, trying not to be a celebrity, not to look like the kid I had been,” Shaun told PEOPLE. “And I realized I was denying myself not only an important part of who I am but a connection with this audience and an experience that was really left unfinished.”

Shirley's children and grandchildren celebrated her 90th birthday in 2024

On March 31, 2024, Shirley marked an extraordinary milestone by turning 90. Her sons Shaun, Patrick and Ryan, along with her grandchildren and other family members, all gathered to celebrate the occasion at a snowy mountain getaway.

"Each person from the youngest granddaughter to the oldest son told a story about what this incredible woman meant to them," Patrick recalled of the event in an Instagram post. "It was one of the most beautiful, emotional, personal moments all of us could’ve ever asked for."

Shaun also posted photos from the big day on Instagram, in which Shirley wore a blue tracksuit, a sash that read "90 & Fabulous" and a tiara with the number "90" in the center.

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