Daughter dispels ‘Mama’ Cass Elliot myth
Cass Elliot’s daughter is dispelling one of rock music’s enduring myths.
Owen Elliot-Kugell reveals in her new book that her mother, famously known as “Mama” Cass from the 1960s West Coast folk-rock group the Mamas and the Papas, did not die by choking on a ham sandwich. Instead, the myth was concocted by her manager to protect her legacy.
“There was a ham sandwich, but she didn’t eat it and she didn’t choke on it. So enough with the jokes,” Elliot-Kugell said in a new interview with the BBC.
In her new memoir, “My Mama, Cass,” released earlier this month on Hachette Books, Elliot-Kugell aims to correct lingering misconceptions about her mother on the 50th anniversary of her death.
The author was 7 years old when Elliot passed away at 32 from a heart attack on July 29, 1974, following a 36-hour whirlwind of performing and partying in London.
Best remembered for hits like “California Dreamin’ ” and “Monday, Monday” during the Summer of Love era, and their performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, the Mamas and the Papas left an indelible mark on music history. Elliot emerged from the group as a versatile entertainment icon, often appearing on television variety
shows and pursuing a solo career.
But her reputation suffered due to the enduring myth, which served as a joke for decades.
“Even as a little girl, when I was hanging out with my friends at school, they didn’t know who my mom was, but I would go home to have play
dates with some of these kids and it was kind of frequent that one of their parents would make a comment to me like, ‘Hey, did your mom really die choking on a ham sandwich?’ ” Elliot-Kugell said.
What made it worse, she added, was that it was used to mock her mother’s body size.
“It bothered me because it
was such a horrible story, and I knew that it wasn’t true,” ElliotKugell said. “And it just felt so cruel to have a rumor like that perpetuated. It tortured me.”
During her extensive research for the book, Elliot-Kugell finally met the journalist who propagated the story. Sue Cameron, a friend of Elliot, confessed that she was responsible.
“I said, ‘I really just wish I knew where that story came from.’ (Cameron) looked me in the eye and said: ‘I did it,’ ” Elliot-Kugell said.
Cameron revealed that Elliot’s manager, Allan Carr, fabricated the story and tasked her with spreading it to the Hollywood Reporter after news of Elliot’s death emerged. Carr didn’t want her to be associated with other rock stars of the era who died from overindulgence, such as Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin.
“So many of her peers had passed away due to drug overdoses that Carr really wanted to protect her,” Elliot-Kugell continued. “And there was a sandwich that was found there.”
The ham sandwich, prepared by one of Elliot’s dancers and left on her bedside table, was intended for her to grab a quick bite before heading out to Mick Jagger’s birthday party that night. But due to her hectic schedule, Elliot did not have a chance to sit down and eat.
“She never even took a bite,” Elliot-Kugell said.
For the author, knowing the truth has brought closure to a lifelong struggle.
“Allan Carr wanted to protect his client’s legacy, and in a weird way it did,” she said. “So now I understand, and it makes sense.”