Fifty years later, the details of Owen Elliot-Kugell's final day with her mom, Cass Elliot, remain vivid in her memory. She recalls how they walked through the Los Angeles airport holding hands before the then 7-year-old flew by herself for the first time, from L.A. to Baltimore, where she would attend summer camp while her mom performed a series of solo shows in London. "I remember her saying, 'Look out your window because I'm going to wave," says Owen, 57. "I looked out the window, and there she was, and she was waving. That was the last time I saw her."
A few weeks later, on July 29, 1974, her world changed forever when Cass, the woman whose sensuous alto had once anchored the folk-rock group the Mamas & the Papas, died in her sleep from a heart attack in her London apartment. She was 32. "Even at 7, I knew I'd have to be a survivor," recalls Owen. "I felt very alone. Extremely alone and very much like, you're on your own, kid." She moved in with her aunt Leah Kunkel (Cass's sister) and her husband, Russ. "I got to have a mom and a dad and a house and a dog, and it was normal," she says. But the loss left her with endless questions, from the secret of her paternity to the oft-told rumor that her mom had died from choking on a ham sandwich. "I had to discern fact from fiction," says Owen.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
DRAWING STRENGTH TOGETHER
WHEN HE SAW HIS TEEN DAUGHTER STRUGGLING, COMIC BOOK AUTHOR ETHAN SACKS CREATED A HERO TO GIVE HER HOPE. THEN THEY JOINED FORCES TO FINISH THE STORY
Her Love Affair With Words
THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MORE THAN 210 BOOKS REFLECTS ON HER CAREER, THE IMPORTANCE OF GIVING BACK AND WHY SHE'LL NEVER DITCH HER TRUSTED TYPEWRITER FOR A COMPUTER
WHAT I KNOW NOW
THE X-FILES ACTOR AND PODCAST HOST REFLECTS ON PARENTING, SUCCESS AND THE SILVER LINING OF EVERY FAILURE
'I DON'T THINK ABOUT AGE'
THE MATRIX ACTRESS REFLECT ON HER QUIET LIFE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, PARENTING AND STEPPING INTO THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE
'I Didn't Just Survive I Thrived'
Rare flesh-eating bacteria took Aimee Copeland's limbs in 2012. But she persevered
TONY HALE FACING HIS FEARS
THE EMMY-WINNING ACTOR IS ON AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER WITH HIS NEW FILM INSIDE OUT 2 AND AS A DAD WATCHING HIS DAUGHTER GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL
'I Take Bold Risks!'
THE OSCAR-WINNING ACTRESS GETS READY TO HOST THE TONY AWARDS FOR THE THIRD TIME AND OPENS UP ABOUT FAME, HAVING FUN AND FINDING HER FOOTING
You Oughta Know...
The actress-musician, 35, wrote the hit Broadway musical Suffs, about women's fight to vote. It's nominated for six Tonys
Donald Trump Found Guilty of 34 Felonies
On May 30 a New York jury delivered a historic verdict in the first criminal case against a former Commander in Chief
Padma Lakshmi Feels 'More Confident Now' Than in Her 20s
“If you had told me I would be modeling lingerie at 35, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Padma Lakshmi says with a laugh.