Sex, drugs and rock and roll, baby!

Suzanne Crough, best known as a member of the Partridge Family and who revolutionized rock tambourine playing, has died.

“Suzanne was a natural” said Shirley Jones, aka, Shirley Partridge.

Before she came along, rock tambourine players were relegated to the background. But Suzanne had other ideas.  Her “atomic” tambourine beat became our trademark. C’mon Get Happy would not have been the hit it was without her. We used to call her our little Helter Skelter girl.  After Suzanne anyone who played tambourine played it differently. 

Named by Rolling Stone as “The most influential tambourine player and kid sister in Rock” for three straight years, she fell upon hard times after the Partridge Family broke up.

“The break up was tough on her” said Partridge Family manager Reuben Kincaid.

She was a sweet kid who just wanted to play tambourine.  She wasn’t prepared for the nastiness of the breakup.  The business problems, the other Partridge Family members not speaking to each other and writing nasty songs about each other.  It changed her.  She started drowning her sorrows in booze and hanging out with some pretty raucous rock and rollers.  The next thing I know she was shooting up with Keith Richards.  I didn’t even recognize her the last time I saw her.  She was missing her teeth and her hair was falling out.

After being kicked out of a Crosby, Stills and Nash reunion tour because her drug use made her unreliable she tried to make a living with Partridge Family nostalgia bands.

“I went to see her once” said David Cassidy.

God it was sad. She could barely play the tambourine any more.  Her hands were shaking and at one point she attacked someone in the audience and started screaming, “I’m Tracy f*cking Partridge you motherf*cking  c*cksuckers! ”  Security had to pull her off the poor guy.  I met her briefly backstage. She didn’t recognize me.  She offered me a blow job if I’d get her some meth. I got out of there as fast as I could.

Fired from the Partridge Family nostalgia band, Crough was reduced to turning tricks in her native Nevada.

The end came for her when a trick offered her some tainted heroin.  The former influential rock tambourine player died of an overdose shortly thereafter.

“It’s very sad” said Jones.

But I choose to remember her as a brilliant young tambourine player.  I plan to listen to our music tonight and remember how great she was.  Then I might offer David Cassidy a blow job if he gets me some meth.  That is if that Bonaduce bastard doesn’t do it first.

Crough’s family has not announced funeral plans.

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