Cass Elliot Sandwich Myth Was Manager’s Invention, Says Daughter

The fantasy that Cass Elliot died by choking on a ham sandwich in 1974 was invented by her supervisor in an attempt to safeguard her legacy, the singer’s daughter mentioned.

Owen Elliot-Kugell was 7 several years old when Elliot handed away at 32 from a heart assault following 36 hrs of carrying out and partying. The prior The Mamas & the Papas vocalist knowledgeable been establishing her solo profession in London, U.K,. and appeared to have a dazzling extended run in advance of her.

“By the time she received back to her flat, it was evening the adhering to functioning day,” Elliot-Kugell explained to the BBC in a new interview. “She was hungry, and her dancer created her a sandwich from the only point that was in the flat – ham – and nevertheless left it on her bedside table. She below no situations even took a chunk.”

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She added: “Even as a little girl… I would go dwelling to have playdates with some of these youngsters and it was sort of repeated that a single of their moms and dads would make a remark to me like, ‘Hey, did your mother really die choking on a ham sandwich?’

“It bothered me for the explanation that it was these varieties of a terrible tale, and I realized that it was not reputable. And it just felt so cruel to have a rumor like that perpetuated. It tortured me.”

Following five a extended time of wanting to know exactly where by the tale had take place from, she was deal with-to-deal with with journalist Sue Cameron – a great pal of Elliot – who owned up. “I claimed, ‘I unquestionably just would like I realized exactly where by that tale arrived from.’ [Cameron] looked me in the eye and mentioned: ‘I did it.’”

Cass Elliot Ham Sandwich Fantasy Can make Feeling to Daughter

Cameron described that she’d identified as Elliot’s manager, Allan Carr, on listening to of the tragedy. “So several of her close friends knowledgeable handed away thanks to drug overdoses that Carr really wanted to safeguard her,” Elliot-Kugell ongoing.” And there was a sandwich that was observed there.”

Carr arrived up with the choking story and questioned Cameron to use it, she added, declaring it was at initially only intended to preserve away from speculation till complete specifics ended up offered – alternatively of turning into a extended-believed fantasy. “Allan Carr required to defend his client’s legacy, and in a bizarre way it did,” Elliot-Kugell mentioned. “So now I recognize, and it can make perception.”

Her memoir, My Mama, Cass, is revealed on May well properly 7 by means of Hachette Guides.