The Last Papa

It was a surprise for all of us to hear that Denny Doherty of the Mamas and Papas had died. No one even knew that he had been so ill.

Doherty was only 66. He was the sweet-voiced addition to the group whom Mama Cass fell in love with and who Michelle Phillips could not resist, leading to the end of her marriage to Papa John. When Doherty launched his Dream A Little Dream show, based on his life story, I asked my then-producer at CHML, the amazing Peggy, to lobby hard to get him booked. It was a long-shot but Peggy’s speciality was miracles and she did it. Doherty’s in-studio visit was a magical hour of story-telling and reminiscing about the crazy days in the 1960′s. He was very down to earth, warm and funny. I treasure that memory.

In recent months, he had taken ill after an operation and he was forced to go on dialysis. This depressed him because of the restrictions it put on his normally active life, but he was starting to adjust and make plans for future adventures. He died suddenly of an aneurysm in his stomach. Now only Michelle Phillips is left from the original group but Denny’s sweet voice is eternal.