38. They Recreated The Band
As it turned out, Phillips only spent three weeks in prison. He then contacted Doherty about recreating The Mamas & the Papas. They replaced his wife with his daughter, MacKenzie Phillips, and replaced Elliot with Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane. They were now The New Mamas & the Papas.
But some of the problems with the original band carried over to this new lineup.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
39. It Was Like Deja Vu
The first performances by The New Mamas & the Papas in March 1982 received great reviews. Somehow, though, they were losing money, so they stopped performing. In 1985, they regrouped and did a world tour, which was more successful. When Phillips and his daughter started using narcotics and booze, their performances went downhill. On a couple of occasions, the audience booed the band off the stage.
This seemed like a flashback to a hard time in Doherty’s life. He wasn’t going to have any of it.
40. He Went Off-Broadway
In 1987, Doherty walked away from The New Mamas & the Papas. He was ready to try something new—but not too new. He produced a play which he called Dream a Little Dream (the Nearly True Story of the Mamas & the Papas). This off-Broadway play tells the story of the early years of The Mamas & the Papas, and it doesn't try to hide the “adultery, unrequited love and booze”.
Doherty was ready to put the drama of The Mamas & the Papas behind him and work on something positive.
Michael Ochs Archives , Getty Images
41. He Became Animated
Life with The Mamas & the Papas was always seen as very dysfunctional. Maybe this is why Doherty spent eight years working on the Canadian children's series Theodore Tugboat. You see, on this show, the tugboats solve every problem through communication, which helps them keep the Big Harbour the friendliest in the world. Doherty voiced all the tug boats and the Harbourmaster.
Like this children’s TV show, Doherty’s life was on a positive track. And then it came to a crashing halt.
Screenshot from Theodore Tugboat, Cochran Entertainment / CBC (1993-2000)
42. He Lost The Love Of His Life
With his second wife, Jeanette, Doherty had another daughter and a son. His second marriage lasted 20 years and seemed to lack any kind of drama. That all stopped when Jeanette got a diagnosis of ovarian cancer and passed in 1998.
It was another harsh drama in Doherty’s life. It seemed like a good time to go home.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
43. He Got To Go Home
In 1999, Doherty performed in the CBC Television series Pit Pony, which is a series about the men who work in the dangerous mines in Nova Scotia. This is the same province that Doherty grew up in, so he could work in a place that seemed a million miles away from all the drama he’d experienced with The Mamas & the Papas.
But his bandmates never seemed to fully disengage from his life.
Screenshot from Pit Pony, Cochran Entertainment / CBC (1999)
44. He Saw Her One More Time
Several years later, around late 2006, Michelle Phillips had heard that Doherty was having surgery, and she paid a visit to offer moral support. She said that this time together was like most their times together since the breakup of The Mamas & the Papas; they kept things professional and didn't “slip back” into acting like they were in a relationship.
With Phillips’ moral support, Doherty went in for his surgery.
45. He Had A Setback
The surgery Doherty needed was for an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Doherty survived the surgery with one setback: he now suffered from kidney failure. But this didn’t stop Doherty from working. In fact, he was about to appear in an iconic Canadian TV series.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
46. He Appeared In An Iconic Series
Trailer Park Boys is a much-loved and internationally famous mockumentary Canadian TV series. Guests have included Snoop Dog and Tom Arnold. Doherty appeared as an FBI agent in the season seven finale.
Sadly, he wouldn't live to see it air.
Screenshot from Trailer Park Boys, Topsail Entertainment / Showcase (2001-2008)
47. We Lost Him
On January 19, 2007, Doherty passed in his home in Mississauga, Canada. They did not give a reason for his passing, but most believe it was due to the kidney failure he suffered after his surgery. He was laid to rest at the Gates of Heaven Cemetery, which is near his birthplace in Nova Scotia, Canada. Michelle Phillips attended both his burial and his funeral.
It seemed like it was time to tell Doherty’s surprising and heartbreaking story.
48. They Told His Story
In 2010, Paul LeDoux released Here I Am: Denny Doherty and the Mamas & the Papas. This first person documentary used parts of Doherty’s off-broadway show Dream A Little Dream. It also used some newly-found recordings. Maybe most importantly, it featured an interview with The Mamas & the Papas last remaining member: Doherty’s ex-girlfriend, Michelle Phillips.
Besides this documentary, there's another way that we can remember Doherty.
49. He Left A Legacy
Doherty’s son, John Doherty, has become a musician just like his dear old dad. He appeared as a stand-in for the guitarist of the ska punk band illScarlett during their first show at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. A few years later, he became the band’s full-time bass player.
You can also hear a reminder of Doherty’s voice in a classic song.
Scott Penner, Wikimedia Commons
50. His Voice Set A Trend
Way back in 1965, Doherty was recording “I Saw Her Again” and the technician made a mistake. He put Doherty’s line “I saw her again” twice, which gave it an echo effect. The producer liked the mistake and kept it. When Paul McCartney heard it, he was sure it was a mistake, saying “nobody’s that clever”. That didn’t matter. In 1980, Kenny Loggins copied the sound of Doherty’s echoing voice in his song “I’m Alright.”
Eric Koch for Anefo, Wikimedia Commons
51. They Thought He Had A Secret Love Child
Back in 1967, Cass Elliot had given birth to a healthy baby girl, Owen. She refused to reveal the identity of the father—which did little to quell the rumors that Denny Doherty was the man in question. After a decade of questions, it was Michelle Phillips who solved the mystery: the father of Cass’ daughter was guitarist Chuck Day, who played with the Mamas & the Papas on tracks like “California Dreamin’”.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
