Mama Cass’s Daughter is Setting the Record Straight on Her Tragic Death
Cass Elliot’s daughter Owen Elliot-Kugell wants people to stop making fun of her mother. For years, there was a rumor that Elliot, best known as the singer Mama Cass in the Mamas & the Papas, died while choking on a ham sandwich. Elliot-Kugell was just seven years old when her mom died at age 32 from a heart attack. Not only was she trying to deal with the emotions of her mother’s tragic death, but she said she always had people making fun of her.
She explained, “In my younger years, when people would talk to me about my mom, it was always about the stupid sandwich. I would go over to kids’ houses after school and eventually one of their parents would ask me ‘Did your mom really die choking on a ham sandwich?’ First of all, the chutzpah to say that to a child is just crazy but it happened a lot. So I felt it was my duty to figure out what that story was all about.” As she got older, she wanted to learn more about her famous mother and the truth surrounding her death. Now she has written a book called My Mama, Cass, which will be available wherever books are sold on May 7, 2024.
Donaldson Collection/Getty Images
While doing her research, she uncovered why it was said that she died choking on a ham sandwich. She learned that it was to dismiss any other rumors, especially about drug overdoses that might come up. Elliot-Kugell said that she discovered that it was Mama Cass’s manager Allan Carr who told her mother’s friend and former Hollywood Reporter columnist Sue Cameron to write that she choked on the sandwich after he found a half-eaten sandwich on her nightstand.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
She added, “I really believe they were protecting her legacy. And they were trying to protect me. And in a weird way, I’m grateful for that crazy story. As much as it caused me grief, and people made jokes, I now realize it kept her relevant and ready to shine again.”
Find out what else Elliot-Kugell learned about her mom in the book. You can pre-order it on Amazon.
Classic TV Shows of the ’50s & ’60s
September 2020
Test your knowledge, from Bonanza and Gunsmoke to I Love Lucy, I Dream of Jeannie, Star Trek and more fun TV of the 1950s and 1960s.
Buy This Issue