The Mamas & the Papas Singer Michelle Phillips Makes Rare Public Outing at 81

The Mamas & the Papas Singer Michelle Phillips Makes Rare Public Outing at 81

E! News·2025-06-17 10:03

Michelle Phillips is still California dreamin’.

The Mamas & the Papas singer made a rare public appearance in Los Angeles June 11 as she stopped at a local gas station to refuel her Mercedes.

For the outing, the 81-year-old—who is the last surviving original member of the folk rock group—paired a black top and black pants with matching flat shoes and dark sunglasses. She completed the ensemble with a red and blue floral kimono while styling her blond hair in a bun held by a black scrunchie.

During the quartet’s original run in the 1960s, Michelle performed alongside Denny Doherty, Cass Elliot and John Philips, to whom was married from 1962 to 1969. The band released hits including “California Dreamin’,” “Go Where You Wanna Go” and “Monday, Monday,” which won a Grammy in 1967.

Six years after the band released their fifth and final studio album in 1971, Michelle released her first and only solo effort, Victim of Romance. However, she found a path to success when she turned her attention to launching a career as an actress.

“Transitioning into acting was so much fun,” she told Smashing Interviews magazine in August 2021. “I wasn’t going to be a soloist, that’s for sure. And I wasn’t going to try and put together a new group. So it was acting.”

Michelle’s performance in the 1973 action movie Dillinger earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer, and she went on to appear in dozens of films and TV series including The Love Boat, Knots Landing, Beverly Hills, 90210 and 7th Heaven.

As for what she’s proudest of in her decades-long career?

“Oh, a lot of stuff because I’m so talented,” Michelle joked to Closer Weekly in September 2021. “But it really goes back to different parts of my career. I loved working with Ryan Murphy on Popular. I absolutely loved doing Knots Landing. And even though there were a lot of difficult moments during the Mamas & the Papas, I was very proud of what we did.”

Keep reading to see more singers who also established successful acting careers.

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The hip-hop artist and Kanye West's collaborator does more than just music - he's also an actor, appearing in films like Selma and John Wick: Chapter 2.

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