Peggy Caserta, Former Lover of Janis Joplin, Dies at 84.Khanhnhu

Peggy Caserta, Former Lover of Janis Joplin, Dies at 84

American singer-songwriter Janis Joplin performs live at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, in Bethel, New York, 17th August 1969.
Janis Joplin in August 1969. Photo: Graphic House/Archive Photos/Getty

Peggy Caserta, a former lover of Janis Joplin, has died. She was 84.

Nancy Cleary, her friend and the publisher at Wyatt-MacKenzie, which released her 2018 memoir I Ran Into Some Trouble, confirmed to Deadline that Caserta died on Thursday, Nov. 21, of “natural causes at her cabin on the Tillamook River on the Oregon Coast.”

Born on Sept. 12, 1940 outside of New Orleans, Caserta moved around from Louisiana to Mississippi, Alabama to Georgia and Texas. By the mid-1960s, Caserta, who was living openly as a lesbian in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury community and opened Mnasidika, one of the nation’s first hippie clothing shops. During that time, she dressed the Grateful Dead and met Joplin, who was her neighbor.

 Portrait of Janis JOPLIN, between 1966 and 1970.
Janis Joplin between 1966 and 1970.Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty

In 1973, Caserta published her memoir Going Down with Janis, which chronicled her friendship and romance with the “Me and Bobby McGee” musician. In the years since its publication, Caserta claimed the memoir was penned by her ghostwriter on the book, Dan Knapp. “I didn’t write that trash,” she told Vulture in 2018. “I sold out for drug money, and I’ve lived in the shadow of it for 40-some-odd years.”

She also alleged the book fueled her drug habit. “I’m not going to make excuses for using, because a drug addict really needs no excuse, but every time that I thought I could get clean or tried to get clean, I would think about that book, and all I’d want to do is numb out again,” Caserta told the publication.

In 2018, Caserta released another memoir, I Ran Into Some Trouble, which alleged that the “Cry Baby” singer didn’t die from a drug overdose in 1970. Instead, the author claimed she tripped, broke her nose and died of asphyxiation from blood, per Rolling Stone.

“I saw her foot sticking out at the end of the bed,” Caserta told the outlet. “She was lying with cigarettes in one hand and change in the other. For years it bothered me. How could she have overdosed and then walked out to the lobby and walked back. … I let it go for years, but I always thought, ‘Something is wrong here.’”

Going Down with Janis
‘Going Down with Janis’ book cover. Amazon

Caserta returned home to the New Orleans area from California in 2005 when her mother was showing signs of dementia. For the next 12 years, she was her caregiver.

Caserta, whose parents Sam and Novelle died before her, leaves no survivors.

Related Posts

Paris Hilton Shares Iconic Y2K Throwback Pic with Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, aka the ‘Holy Trinity’.Khanhnhu

Paris Hilton Shares Iconic Y2K Throwback Pic with Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, aka the ‘Holy Trinity’ Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton on Nov. 26, 2006 . Photo: Bauer-Griffin/GC Paris…

Read more

Helen Gallagher, Star of Ryan’s Hope and Two-Time Tony Winner, Dies at 98.khanhnhu

Helen Gallagher, Star of Ryan’s Hope and Two-Time Tony Winner, Dies at 98 . Helen Gallagher in 1975. Photo: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Helen Gallagher has died….

Read more

Shawshank Redemption Star Tim Robbins Thinks ‘The Future of Cinema’ Is Bleak Due to Streaming Services.Khanhnhu

Shawshank Redemption Star Tim Robbins Thinks ‘The Future of Cinema’ Is Bleak Due to Streaming Services Tim Robbins. Photo: Gregg DeGuire/Deadline/Getty Tim Robbins is getting candid about his thoughts on the future of…

Read more

Frankie Muniz Gets ‘Really Sad’ Reflecting on the Sacrifices His Family Made for His Career as a Child Star.Khanhnhu

Frankie Muniz Gets ‘Really Sad’ Reflecting on the Sacrifices His Family Made for His Career as a Child Star Frankie Muniz in 2023 (left); Frankie Muniz on ‘Malcolm in the…

Read more

Yellowstone Star Hassie Harrison Says Newlywed Life with Ryan Bingham Is ‘An Absolute Dream’.Khanhnhu

Yellowstone Star Hassie Harrison Says Newlywed Life with Ryan Bingham Is ‘An Absolute Dream’ Ryan Bingham and Hassie Harrison attend Bingham’s Bourbon NFR After Party on December 07, 2023 in…

Read more

Oliver Hudson Recalls Moment Kurt Russell Asked If He and Kate Wanted Him to Adopt Them — and Why They Said No.Khanhnhu

Oliver Hudson Recalls Moment Kurt Russell Asked If He and Kate Wanted Him to Adopt Them — and Why They Said No Oliver Hudson, Kurt Russell and Kate Hudson. Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Eric…

Read more

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *