Owen Elliot-Kugell, the only child and daughter of the late Mama Cass Elliot, has penned a memoir with one of its primary goals being to dispel the long-standing myth surrounding her mother's death. Contrary to popular belief, Mama Cass Elliot did not die on July 29th, 1974 by choking on a ham sandwich. "There was a ham sandwich, but she didn't eat it and she didn't choke on it. So enough with the jokes," says Owen, expressing her frustration over the perpetuation of this false narrative.
From a young age, Owen was subjected to cruel comments and questions about her mother's death. "Even as a little girl... 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?'" Owen recalls. She knew the truth - that her mother had been hungry, a dancer had made her a sandwich, but she never took a bite. The reality is that Cass died from a heart attack, with no drugs or alcohol in her system.
Apparently, the ham sandwich story was brought to light by journalist Sue Cameron. According to Owen, many of her mother's peers had passed away due to drug overdoses, and her mother's manager, Allan Carr, wanted to protect her reputation. Hence, when a sandwich was found at the scene, Cameron wrote the story for the Hollywood Reporter, falsely claiming that's how Cass passed. Owen's memoir, "My Mama, Cass," which aims to set the record straight, will be published on Thursday.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]