Cass Elliot
Singer
Name at birth: Ellen Naomi Cohen
"Mama Cass" Elliot was a member of the hippie pop group The Mamas & The Papas, along with John Phillips, Michelle Phillips and Denny Doherty. The group had their first hit in 1966 with "California Dreamin'" and recorded the popular tunes "Monday Monday" and "Dream a Little Dream of Me." Later, Elliot became a pop culture legend for how she didn't die. Initial reports from London said that she had choked to death on a sandwich, and this became an enduring rumor. In fact, an autopsy concluded that she died of a heart attack.
Extra credit: Cass appeared in the Saturday morning children's show H. R. Pufnstuff with Jack Wild.
Elliot appears with John Candy in our loop Died Plump.
Four Good Links
The Official Cass Elliot Website
Great collection of album titles, facts, links and other tidbits
Urban Legends: Mama Cass
Debunks the ‘choked on a sandwich’ story
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Fine recap of the entire career of The Mamas and the Papas
Mamas and the Papas: Great Links
A fan lists dozens of links to the band and to Cass Elliot herself
Vital Stats
Birth
Birthplace
Death
29 July 1974
(heart attack, age 32)
Best Known As
Member of the pop group The Mamas & The Papas
