Mama Cass' daughter broke her silence on the rumors surrounding her death decades after her tragic passing.
On July 9, 1974, multiple media outlets reported Mama Cass' death. The Mamas & the Papas singer, whose real name was Cass Elliot, died in Harry Nilsson's London home where she had been living with her friend and manager, George Caldwell.
What Was Mama Cass' Cause of Death?
According to the 1974 report by Rolling Stone, the coroner ruled Mama Cass' death accidental during a hearing a day after her passing. Her autopsy report reportedly revealed that she died after choking on a sandwich while in bed and inhaling her own vomit.
Before her death, the crooner complained about her frequent vomiting caused by dieting.
Her secretary, Dot McLeoud, was the one who found the body after going to the flat following attempts to reach her by phone.
She was survived by her daughter, Owen Elliot-Kugell, who recently broke her silence regarding her mother's death.
Speaking in a new interview with Rolling Stone before the release of her memoir, "My Mama, Cass" in 2024, Owen spoke up about the matriarch's reported cause of death and the rumors surrounding it.
"I can't believe we're still talking about the sandwich after all these years," Elliot-Kugell said.
"I started running my mom's estate when I was 18. One of the first things I remember thinking is, 'We've got to stop that ham sandwich rumor thing,' because it was so painful," she continued. "It wasn't enough that we had lost her, to then be [made into] a joke. I'd say probably 50 percent of the people don't believe it now. The other 50 percent probably still do."
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Owen Elliot-Kugell Recalled the Day She Lost Her Mom
In the same interview, she spoke candidly about the loss when she was only seven. Her grandmother reportedly told her the heartbreaking news, and the clear memory of the moment still lingers after all these years.
"She puts my seat belt on and kisses me and says, 'Look in the window,'" she continued. "I'm going to go to the airport terminal, and I'm going to wave. Go wave! Go wave!' That's the last time I saw her."
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