Posted on 01/06/2006 3:43:59 AM PST by billorites
The Cowsills got the news they had been dreading over the holidays. Barry Cowsill — missing since Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans — is dead.
His body, positively identified through a DNA match, is in a morgue in Baton Rouge, where it has been since the storm.
“It’s a sad ending to the search,” said family friend A.J. Wachtel. “FEMA won’t say how he died or where but he apparently had been underwater.”
Cowsill, 51, who with the rest of his singing family belted out their vintage hit “Hair” at Fenway Park during the epic Red Sox-Yankees 2004 ALCS showdown, disappeared from New Orleans shortly after Katrina struck.
The last contact Barry had with family members was a few days after the storm devastated the Gulf Coast. He phoned his sister, Susan, who lives in New Orleans but who had evacuated, and left a message indicating that he was still in the city and that he needed help. He was never heard from again.
“We are deeply saddened to report that the Cowsill family just learned that Barry’s body has been found,” said a message posted on cowsill.com yesterday.
The Cowsills are Newport, R.I., natives and the family was the model for TV’s “The Partridge Family.” They had a string of pop hits in the ’60s including “Hair,” “The Rain, The Park and Other Things” and “Indian Lake.”
The group broke up in the early ’70s but reunited in the fall of 2004 to belt out “Hair” in homage to Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez, Bronson Arroyo and all the Fenway Follically Faithful — as well as their late mum, Barbara, who was a huge Red Sox fan.
But like a “Behind the Music” special, after the band broke up Barry went into a downward spiral. He battled substance-abuse problems and attempted suicide. In 2004 he was charged with making crank phone calls to his ex-girlfriend in Newport. On the day Katrina hit, he was due to fly to L.A. to enter rehab.
“He was a great guy,” said Wachtel. “This is a sad event.”
File Under: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow. . . .
Barry Cowsill, right, performs with his family at Fenway Park in 2004. (Staff file photo by Nancy Lane)
Wow, man, like this is such heavy news, man. It must be all, like, Bush's fault, man.
The last his family heard from him was "a few days after the storm". Wonder how he died?
I wonder if somewhere in Jefferson Parish, Aaron Broussard isn't blubbering again.
I heard on the radio (WNOR) this morning his phone message mentioned he was stuck waiting for the N.O. busses to evacuate.
I always considered this band an embarrassment. Even the Monkees had more talent, and were more photogenic to boot.
No Cowsills, no Partridge Family (the show was a transparent ripoff).
(She sure could tickle them keys!)
Yeah, it was always a tossup between Laurie Partridge and Marsha Brady. For "older women," it was between Samantha Stevens and I Dream of Jeannie.
And Julie from The Mod Squad.
I was a huge Cowsill fan and had my first preteen crush on Barry. I have a couple of their CD's and the music still makes me smile.
To be remembered for a song about hair? What an embarassment!
My wife was a big fan as well. Mrs Heatseeker will be sorry to hear about this.
But the Cowsills were always able to look down on Gary Lewis and the Playboys...
She used to be married to Peter Holsapple (dbs) and was at one time a member of Dwight Twilley's band.
Suddenly the sun broke through (see the sun).
I turned around she was gone (where did she go).
And all I had left was one little flower from her hair.
But I knew (I knew, I knew, I knew, I knew)
she had made me happy (happy, happy).
Flowers in her hair, flowers everywhere.
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