Mama Cass's daughter says singer 'didn't choke on' ham sandwich as she clears the air about her death

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Mama Cass Elliot’s only child Owen Elliot-Kugell is clearing the rumors surrounding the tragic death of the singer in 1974 and saying the singer didn’t choke on a ham sandwich.

As The Mamas & the Papassinger’s 50th death anniversary is approaching on July 29, Elliot’s only child Owen is opening up about the mysteries surrounding the musician’s death.

Her book ‘My Mama, Cass: A Memoir’ is awaiting its release on May 9. Prior to the book’s release, Owen is clearing the confusion regarding her mother’s death. 

Per BBC, she says, "There was a ham sandwich, but she didn't eat it and she didn't choke on it. So enough with the jokes."

Owen Elliot-Kugell clears confusion

Owen recently shared in an interview with BBC that her mother didn’t choke on a sandwich, despite the rumor has it.

The rumor, in fact, attained a mythical status with endless jokes surrounding it, including by Mike Myers as Austin Powers.

The ‘Monday Monday’ singer died tragically aged just 32 in 1974 after completing her two-week run at the London Palladium. She was staying at a Mayfair flat lent to her by American singer Harry Nilsson. 

Though the autopsy stated her death was caused by a heart attack and there wasn’t any trace of drugs in her system, rumors soon started that she died by choking on a ham sandwich.

During that time Owen was seven and back at home in the US. Speaking to the outlet, she recently opened up about her experiences growing up with the myth.

Owen shared, "It's beyond frustrating, almost immeasurable.”

She continued, "Even as a little girl, when I was hanging out with my friends at school, they didn't know who my mom was, but I would go home to have playdates with some of these kids and 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?'"

"It bothered me because it was such a horrible story, and I knew that it wasn't true. And it just felt so cruel to have a rumour like that perpetuated. It tortured me,” added Owen.

Owen further shed light to the final hours of her mother. She shared that before Elliot’s death she had a packed schedule and included "staying up for 36 hours".

Her schedule included Mick Jagger's birthday party all night, then a brunch thrown in her honor, and an afternoon tea hosted by a US journalist.

Owen continued, "By the time she got back to her flat, it was evening the following day," before adding, "She was hungry, and her dancer made her a sandwich from the only thing that was in the flat, ham, and left it on her bedside table. She never even took a bite."

Owen Elliot-Kugell addresses source of myth

Owen also addressed the source of the myth as she shared she found out the source of the myth decades later while having lunch with her mother’s journalist friend Sue Cameron.

In her book she recalls talking to Cameron about her mother’s death. She wrote, "I said, 'I really just wish I knew where that story came from'. She stopped eating, put her knife and fork down, looked me in the eye and said: 'I did it'."

Cameron then explained that back in 1974, after hearing the news, he called Elliot’s manager Allan Carr in London.

Owen continued, "So many of her peers had passed away due to drug overdoses that Carr really wanted to protect her. And there was a sandwich that was found there."

Carr concocted the tale and asked Cameron to write about choking on a sandwich to publish on The Hollywood Reporter.

Owen wrote, "Allan Carr wanted to protect his client's legacy and in a weird way it did. So now I understand, and it makes sense.”