Mama Cass Death: Daughter Dispels Ham Sandwich Myth

Mama Cass: For years, Cass Elliot’s daughter Owen Elliot-Kugell had to deal with jokes and rumors about her mother dying after choking on a ham sandwich.

Now, nearly 50 years after the famous Mamas & Papas singer died, Owen recounts in her new memoir, My Mama, Cass, how she grew to accept — and even like — the weird story that became part of her mother’s legacy.

But first, she needed to learn the truth.

Revealing the Truth: Research and Disclosures

Owen was just seven years old when Cass died of a heart attack in London on July 29, 1974, at age 32.  “In my younger years, when people would talk to me about my mom, it was always about the ham sandwich,” she tells BLOGSYEAR in this week’s print issue.

“I would go over to kids’ houses after school, and one of their parents would ask me, ‘Did your mom really die choking on a ham sandwich?’ First and foremost, the boldness of saying such to a child is mad, but it has happened multiple times. So I felt it was my responsibility to figure out what the story was about.”

According to Owen, it was all part of a far wider mission to “discern fact from faction” and discover who her mother truly was.

While researching her book, she spoke with some of her mother’s confidants. Among them was former Hollywood Reporter columnist Sue Cameron. In her book, Hollywood Secrets and Scandals, Cameron first stated that Cass died from choking on a ham sandwich.

Cameron described how she contacted Cass’ London flat to check in. The singer’s manager, Allan Carr, answered the phone and informed her that Cass had died. “He was crying and upset and he said, ‘There’s a half-eaten ham sandwich on the nightstand,'” recounts Cameron. He asked her in a hurry, “You must do this. Pretend that she died from choking on the sandwich.

Carr hoped to dispel any other rumors that might arise. Especially regarding drugs.

“So many of my mother’s peers had died from drug overdoses,” Owen, 57, tells me. “Janis Joplin. Jim Morrison. And I believe Allan was scared they would make the same mistake.”

Although no drugs were found in Cass’s system at the time of death. Owen is unsure whether her mother’s sudden death was caused by previous drug usage. “Everybody was doing it,” she adds. “I wasn’t there but would be surprised if there weren’t any drugs around.”

Mama Cass Legacy: A Daughter’s Thoughts and Embrace

Owen states, “I really believe they were protecting her legacy,” after Cameron gave her the beginning of the story. They also attempted to protect me.  That strange story is one I’m kind of thankful for. While it upset me and led to jokes, I now see that it kept her relevant and prepared for her comeback.

Her latest book offers a more complex and in-depth look at the woman whose sensual alto was once heard in The Mama’s & Papa’s most beloved songs, such as “California Dreaming'” and “Monday, Monday.” She believes that it accomplishes this.

“I discovered that I had a mother.” Writing her book made Owen understand that “she didn’t belong to just me.” She states, “She’s been gone 50 years, but I feel closer to her than ever,” as a result of all the findings that led to the writing of her memoir.