Cass Elliot

"Mama" Cass Elliot (September 19, 1941 ? July 29, 1974), born Ellen Naomi Cohen, was a noted American singer who performed with The Mamas & the Papas. She then went onto a successful solo career, releasing nine albums. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, she spent most of her childhood both in Baltimore and Alexandria, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C.

Cass flies solo

Elliot guest starred three times on Julie Andrews's 1973 television series, The Julie Andrews Hour. Cass's voice blended surprisingly well with Andrews's, given their stylistic differences, and they created a pleasing onscreen chemistry.

Related Topics:
Julie Andrews - 1973 - Television series - The Julie Andrews Hour

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Elliot was a close friend and neighbor of coffee heiress Abigail Folger, who was a victim of the Charles Manson murders. She was also close to actress Sharon Tate, writer Wojciech Frykowski, and international hairdresser Jay Sebring, all victims of the Manson madness in the summer of 1969. Singer and performer Sammy Davis, Jr. was also a good friend of Elliot and this group, and Davis has been quoted as saying that they had all been together days before the tragedy, and were it not for he and Cass each flying off to other gigs that week, they too could have been victims of the Manson Family.

Related Topics:
Coffee - Heiress - Abigail Folger - Charles Manson - Sharon Tate - Wojciech Frykowski - Jay Sebring - Summer - 1969 - Sammy Davis, Jr. - Manson Family

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After the breakup of The Mamas & the Papas in July 1968, Elliot went on to have a successful solo career, even headlining briefly in Las Vegas, for the whopping contract at that time of USD$40,000 per week. Though her Vegas gig ended badly, she was a regular on TV talk shows and variety shows in the 70s. Her most successful recording during this period was Dream a Little Dream of Me from her solo album of the same name, released by Dunhill Records. At the height of her career in 1974, having just finished performing at the London Palladium theatre, she died of a heart attack. The coroner surmised her heart had weakened to the point of failure due to Elliot's weight and the effects of several crash diets over the years.

Related Topics:
The Mamas & the Papas - July - 1968 - USD$ - 70s - Dream a Little Dream of Me - Dunhill Records - 1974 - London Palladium - Heart attack - Heart - Crash diet

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Elliot was married twice. In 1963 she married James Hendricks; they divorced in 1968 (Hendricks had been a member of "Cass Elliot and the Big Three," later named "The Mugwumps"). In 1971 she married Baron Donald von Wiedenman, a journalist.

Related Topics:
1963 - James Hendricks - 1968 - 1971 - Baron Donald von Wiedenman - Journalist

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