48. She Was Having Trouble Breathing
Cass left Mick Jagger’s party and went to a brunch hosted by Georgia Brown in her honor. However, much to everyone’s dismay, Cass appeared unwell, “blowing her nose frequently, coughing and having trouble breathing”. Nevertheless, later that evening, she went to another party hosted by the American entertainment journalist Jack Martin.
Her appearance there, however, left everyone confused.
Evening Standard, Getty Images
49. She Looked Terrible
Wherever she went, Cass was always the life of the party. At Martin’s party, however, life appeared to have left her. Even though everyone commented that she seemed to be in good spirits, her sickly-looking appearance had everyone concerned. Cass, however, chalked it up to exhaustion (she hadn’t slept since Mick Jagger’s party) and decided to head home for the night.
It was, sadly, her final public appearance.
Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, The Mike Douglas Show (TV Series 1961–1982)
50. She Took Her Final Rest
Cass returned home to an apartment (Flat 12, 9 Curzon Place) owned by Harry Nilsson in the affluent Mayfair neighborhood. However, when Cass failed to emerge from her room as the night of July 28 turned into the day of July 29, her secretary became suspicious. When he finally opened her bedroom door, he was left devastated.
Egghead06, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
51. She Did Not Choke On A Ham Sandwich
Cass’s secretary Dot McLeod found her, deceased, in her bed of an apparent heart attack. But, predictably, the rumor mill concocted its own version of events. Before long, everyone was viciously reporting that Cass had choked while devouring a ham sandwich—an obvious smear against her long standing struggle with obesity.
An even wilder rumor suggested that she'd passed while giving birth to John Lennon's love child. But these weren't the only rumors to outlive her.
Arthur Dark, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
52. Her Daughter Found Her Father
After her passing, Cass’s daughter, Owen, went to live with the singer’s younger sister. It wasn’t until years later, however, that Michelle Phillips, of all people, finally solved the mystery of Cass’s unknown lover and the father of her daughter. “I found your dad,” Phillips said to Owen. “Here's a plane ticket. Go meet him”.
53. She Was Always “California Dreamin’”
Cass had done a good job of protecting the identity of her daughter’s father—all of the rumors had been horribly wrong. The father of Cass’ daughter was guitarist Chuck Day, the second guitarist on her hit songs “Monday, Monday” and “California Dreamin’”.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
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