Award-winning Hollywood veteran star Shirley Jones made a rare appearance surrounded by loved ones, and fans were happy to see her after a while.
The actress’s son, actor Patrick Cassidy, posted a group photo featuring his big family on his Instagram page. The picture also included his famous mother.
“What an incredible vacation in California getting to be with my entire family. Mom, brothers, nieces and nephews, both my sons and, of course, the love of my life,” he captioned the post.
Fans flooded the comment section upon spotting the family matriarch, Jones, 89, in the snapshot. She wore a red tracksuit while seated among the young, beaming family members.One Instagram user said the picture needed to be “framed” and described it as “heartwarming, while another person agreed and complimented Jones saying, “Your Mom is just too adorable!”
“How wonderful for you all and your Mom, whom we all love so very much,” one stated. Someone else thanked Patrick for sharing his loved ones with the fans, especially his mother, “still stunning,” added the user.
Continuing with the compliments, one Instagram follower commented, “Wonderful family picture – Mom #ShirleyJones looks wonderful.”
Meanwhile, another social media user exclaimed, “Wonderful! Your beautiful mom must’ve been so happy! God Bless her. Beloved by all.”
Jones’ Large Family & Her First Love
Jones might have grown up as an only child, but she went on to create a big family of her own. The actress is a mother to three “wonderful sons,” she gushed in a March 2021 interview.
The Academy Award winner welcomed her kids, Shaun, Ryan, and Patrick, with her first husband, actor Jack Cassidy, whom she wed in 1952 at age 22. “He was my first love and the love of my life,” Jones said of the father of her children, adding that they had a good sex life too.
However, their intense romance was marred by Jack’s bipolar disorder, alcohol addiction, and several infidelities. Jones turned a blind eye to it all and instead focused more on being a mom and her acting career, shifting from films to television shows to avoid traveling.She later landed the role on the hit sitcom “The Partridge Family,” playing Shirley Renfrew Partridge. There, she relished working alongside her stepson, David Cassidy, Jack’s son from his previous marriage. David sadly died in 2017.
As the show became popular, things fell apart between Jones and Jack, who suggested they split. But she admitted she did not want to give up on their marriage. She eventually let him go as he drowned himself more in his addiction.
In 1976, the actor asked the singer to meet him for drinks – hinting at a reconciliation, and she refused. Later that evening, Jack fell asleep with a lit cigarette and tragically died in the fire. He was 49.
Even after all they went through, Jones admitted she still wanted him, which was the sad part. She confessed she would not have married her second husband, comedian Marty Ingels in 1977 if Jack were still alive.
But her second union provided her with protection and security, which was rare for her, and it lasted until Ingels died in 2015. Now Jones enjoys being surrounded by her big, loving family, which consists of 13 grandchildren.