Cass Elliot a.k.a Mama Cass’ daughter Owen Elliot-Kugell recently released a book titled My Mama, Cass, revealing several details about her life including growing up without a biological father. Owen admitted that she had no idea who her dad was until she turned 19 and learned that he was Chuck Day.
Cass died from a heart attack in 1974 when Owen was only 7, leaving her to be raised by her aunt Leah Kunkel and her husband, Russ. Although Russ was a present father figure to Owen, she often longed for Chuck growing up. “Growing up, I always had certain fantasies, one day my real dad would show up,” she confessed.
Cass Elliot kept her child’s father a secret
View this post on Instagram
Owen explained her mother’s plight back in the ‘60s as a famous member of the Mamas and Papas band, saying that she “had enough money and she didn’t need a man to do it.”
RELATED: This Stunning Medley Between Julie Andrews & Mama Cass Is Giving Us All Chills
“She was a rock star. Well, she needed a man to do it but not a relationship,” Owen clarified, adding that her father’s identity was likely a secret for privacy reasons. “Maybe she didn’t need him. Nor want him,” the 57-year-old quipped.
Cass also put her first husband’s name, Jim Hendricks, on the certificate to keep Chuck “out of the draft.” On Owen’s 19th birthday, Cass’ bandmate Michelle Phillips, who spent most of the day filming a documentary with Phillips and Denny Doherty, said Chuck’s name. “She had said ‘Gee, did we ever find out who Owen’s dad was?’ The two of them shot each other a knowing look and they told her Chuck Day. They knew his name and that’s all they had to go on,” Owen recounted.
Cass’ bandmate helped Owen find her biological dad
Michelle helped to find Chuck, who resided in Marin County, California, via a want-ad in various music magazines. “She got me a plane ticket and said, ‘Go meet him.’ It was a surreal experience. The second I saw him, I knew we shared DNA. He was a little uncomfortable,” Owen said. “He was a perfect stranger telling me how much he loved me and it was the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard in my whole life.”
View this post on Instagram
It was a memorable moment for Owen as she finally found closure. “I had four parental units. That’s how I worked it out. A mother and father who were the biological set. And I had a mom and dad, Leah and Russ Kunkel, who were the ones who actually did the work and who would say what I should or shouldn’t do,” the singer admitted. “So I did not feel I was lacking in the dad department.”