Random Rising Soul Singer Sam Cooke Perished Under Mysterious Circumstances In 1964 And Case Is Still Unsolved (16 items)

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  (#1) Cooke Met Elisa Boyer While Out At Dinner With Friends

  On December 10, 1964, Cooke met producer Al Schmitt and his wife for dinner at Martoni's Italian restaurant in Los Angeles. Cooke's popularity led to many gawkers and people interrupting their dinner to talk to the singer. Other acquaintances eventually brought Cooke to the bar, leaving the Schmitts to finish their dinner alone.

  While at the bar, Cooke saw 22-year-old Elisa Boyer sitting in a nearby booth, and although she was with three guys, she and Cooke ended up in a booth alone together. Cooke and Boyer decided to leave Martoni's together around 1 am. Driving a recently purchased red Ferrari, Cooke drove Boyer to a club called PJ's to extend the evening.
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  (#2) Cooke Took Boyer To A Night Club Where He Allegedly Argued With A Man Flirting With Boyer

  After leaving Martoni's Italian restaurant, Cooke and Boyer traveled to PJ's club on Santa Monica Boulevard. Cooke had already reportedly consumed at least three martinis at Martoni's and continued to drink at PJ's. He also bought drinks for Boyer and others.

  According to one version of the story, Cooke was supposed to be meeting the Schmitts, whom he abandoned at dinner, but they had left the club by the time he and Boyer arrived. He then reportedly became protective of Boyer and began arguing with a guy he accused of flirting with her.

  Cooke stuck around PJ's long enough to greet the many people he knew at the club before he and Boyer took off. According to Boyer, she asked Cooke to take her home. They left PJ's around 2 am.
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  (#3) According To Boyer, Cooke Took Her To The Hacienda Motel Against Her Will

  After Boyer allegedly asked Cooke to take her home, they got into his red Ferrari, drove down Santa Monica Boulevard, and got onto Highway 101, where Boyer claimed Cooke was speeding and driving recklessly. Boyer reportedly asked again to be taken home, but Cooke allegedly told her she was pretty, stroked her hair, and said, "Don't worry now. I just want to go for a little ride."

  After driving about 17 miles, Cooke exited the highway at Figueroa Street and stopped at the Hacienda Motel, a seedy establishment known for room rentals by the hour.

  Located in South Central, LA, the motel saw its share of rough customers, and since it was an affordable place that only charged $3 a night, Cooke's expensive car and snazzy suit most likely stood out. When Cooke parked and got out to pay for the room, he reportedly left Boyer to sit in the car by herself.

  Although she claimed to have repeatedly asked Cooke to take her home and allegedly did not want to go to a motel with him, Boyer remained in the car and made no attempt to leave. Bertha Franklin, who was working at the hotel front desk, noted that Boyer did not seem distressed.
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  (#4) Cooke Allegedly Left Boyer Alone In The Room, Though She Says He Planned To Take Advantage Of Her

  According to Boyer, things turned ugly when she and Cooke entered the room. "I started talking very loudly: 'Please, take me home,'" Boyer claimed. "He pinned me on the bed. He kept saying, 'We're just going to talk...' He pulled my sweater off and ripped my dress... I knew he was going to [hurt] me."

  One version of Boyer's story suggests she tried to escape the room after Cooke allegedly pinned her to the bed, but she couldn't open the window since it had been painted shut. She was allegedly unable to hide in the bathroom since the lock didn't work. Boyer told police that Cooke went into the bathroom at some point, and she took the opportunity to run away.

  Grabbing clothing as quickly as she could, Boyer picked up a few pieces of Cooke's clothing, as well. She then claimed she ran to the motel manager's office in an attempt to get help, but no one answered when she knocked on the door. Afraid Cooke might come after her, Boyer said she ran away from the motel in her slip and then called the police from a payphone at 3:08 am. She told them, "Will you please come down to this number. I don't know where I am. I'm kidnapped."
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  (#5) Motel Manager Bertha Franklin Said Cooke Broke Down Her Door Looking For Boyer

  It is possible that Cooke emerged from the bathroom to find Boyer, his clothing, and his wallet missing and became extremely upset. It seems he jumped into his car and drove around the building to the manager's office, likely thinking Boyer may have gone there. Because Cooke was inebriated and Boyer took his clothes, he was only wearing one shoe and his sports jacket when he began pounding on the manager's door.

  Franklin was on the phone with the motel's owner, Evelyn Carr, when Cooke showed up and heard him yell, "Is the girl in there?"outside her door. Franklin claims that when she told Cooke she didn't know where Boyer was and refused to open the door, Cooke didn't believe her and tried forcing his way inside.
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  (#6) Franklin Shot Cooke In What She Says Was An Attempt To Protect Boyer

  According to Franklin, Cooke broke down the door to her office, and the two began a physical fight. Cooke was taller than Franklin but weighed 30 pounds less and the motel manager put up a fight. "He fell on top of me," Franklin remembered. "I tried to bite him through that jacket: biting, scratching, and everything. Finally, I got up, when I kicked him... I run and grabbed the pistol off the TV, and I [fired]... at close range... three times."

  Although she missed twice, Franklin eventually pierced Cooke's left lung and heart.

  According to Franklin, Cooke said, "Lady, you shot me" before charging at her once more. Franklin claimed she hit Cooke in the head with a broom and he fell to the ground and stopped moving. According to motel owner Evelyn Carr, who was on the phone with Franklin at the time, she heard everything and hung up to call police when Franklin began firing.

  When the police arrived, Cooke had already perished. Franklin later testified that she acted in self-defense and wanted to help save Boyer.
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  (#7) Conspiracy Theories Blame The FBI, The Mob, And Others For Cooke's Demise

  Multiple conspiracy theories about what really happened to Sam Cooke have surfaced due to the questions that still surround his demise. Some people blame the mob for ending Cooke since many African American entertainers reportedly associated with underworld bosses in the 1960s to land gigs, and it's possible he ended up on their bad side.

  Rumors also exist about the FBI taking an interest in Cooke because he associated with Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X. Other people noted that Cooke had recently experienced tension in his relationship with manager Allen Klein, who Cooke believed might have been taking financial advantage of him. It was Klein, however, who hired private investigators after Cooke perished in an attempt to discover the truth.

  As his career progressed, Cooke refused to perform at venues that were segregated and he became involved in the civil rights movement. Cooke made a name for himself as an entertainer for African American audiences, but his smooth voice and catchy music was admired by all audiences. This led some people to feel threatened by Cooke not only because of his wide fan base, but also because he wrote his own material and created his own recording company to make sure he wasn't cheated out of royalties because of his race. Opposition toward Cooke was so great that the National Guard had to attend his appearance on American Bandstand because the KKK threatened the show.
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  (#8) According To Etta James, Somebody Physically Attacked Cooke Before He Perished

  Although Cooke officially perished after he was fired at, singer Etta James believed something even more tragic may have happened. In her book Rage to Survive, she claims she was allowed to view Cooke at the mortuary and says his body exhibited signs that he was physically attacked.

  According to James, Cooke's head was nearly removed; an injury not typically connected with being pierced in the chest. James also reported that Cooke had a large bump on his head, his nose was broken, and both his hands appeared to have been crushed.

  While hotel manager Bertha Franklin claimed she and Cooke had a physical altercation and admitted to hitting him with a broomstick, James believed Cooke's wounds were too extreme to match Franklin's story. The mortuary reportedly placed Cooke in a coffin with a glass lid for visibility and covered his face with thick makeup.
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  (#9) Cooke’s Case Was Closed And No One Was Ever Held Responsible

  Police gave both Boyer and Franklin lie detector tests, and both of them passed. Cooke had a blood alcohol level of 0.16 at the time of his demise - double the amount for legal intoxication. Cooke's money and credit cards were missing and Boyer didn't have them. Since DNA testing was still a long way off, authorities completed no physical exams on Boyer to look for evidence of what took place. Franklin testified that she fired at Cooke in an act of self-defense, and since there wasn't much to refute her claim, a jury found her account credible.

  To some witnesses at the inquisition, the proceedings seemed stacked in Franklin's favor. Cooke's lawyer was only allowed to ask Boyer and Franklin a limited number of questions, and their testimonies were short. Some of the attorney's questions were even denied, including his query into what Boyer did for a living. "We are not concerned with the occupation of the girl," the prosecutor replied. Boyer was later detained for solicitation.

  It took a jury only 15 minutes to come to a verdict, ruling that Franklin's actions were justified for the "protection of life, limb, and property."
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  (#10) Boyer Lied On The Stand About Where She Met Cooke

  A few days after Cooke's demise, Franklin and Boyer testified at the medical examiner's inquest. Boyer took the stand reportedly showing little emotion and wearing a headscarf with dark sunglasses. Her version of the story differed greatly from those of other witnesses. Though witnesses claimed Boyer met Cooke at Martoni's, Boyer said she met him at a dinner party in Hollywood where he sang a song for the guests.

  Boyer also alleged she took Cooke's clothing by accident. When police searched her purse, they found $20, but not Cooke's missing wallet, money, or credit cards. As the only person in the car and motel room with Cooke, Boyer's claims that she was snatched and nearly taken advantage of couldn't be investigated.
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  (#11) Franklin Sued Cooke’s Family After She Quit Her Motel Job

  When reporters asked to take Franklin's picture, she famously flashed them a smile. According to stories, she was previously a madam, meaning she may have had connections to less-than-legal enterprises.

  After the incident at the motel, Franklin claimed to have received numerous threats that forced her to leave her job and move more than once. She was allegedly so traumatized by the aftermath of Cooke's demise that she sued his estate for $200,000.

  Stories about the outcome of her lawsuit differ: While one says she lost, another claims Cooke's family settled for $30,000. Franklin reportedly moved to Michigan and passed 18 months later. 
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  (#12) Boyer Was Later Detained For Solicitation And Was Convicted Of Taking Her Boyfriend's Life

  About a month after Cooke passed, police detained Boyer in Hollywood and charged her with solicitation. According to the report, she solicited an undercover officer over the phone by requesting $40 to have relations with him, and was then apprehended when she showed up at the hotel for the encounter.

  When Boyer's boyfriend perished in 1979, she was accused of taking his life. The case went to trial and she was convicted after a jury found her guilty.
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  (#13) Cooke Was Not Discreet About The Cash He Had On Hand The Night He Perished

  As a rapidly rising start on the verge of becoming more successful, Cooke was in a good financial position. Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit from Sy Devore, and mimicking stars like Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra, Cooke looked the part of a stylish entertainment heavyweight. Witnesses claimed he carried a lot of cash with him the night he met Boyer, and was very liberal with his spending. He bought dinner for his friends the Schmitts, despite not eating with them.

  Police discovered that most of Cooke's cash was gone when they arrived at the Hacienda Motel. Although he most likely bought drinks at the club and, according to motel owner Franklin, paid for a room in cash, he only had $108 in his pocket when he perished.

  Since Cooke's wallet and credit cards were also missing, theories emerged that robbers were responsible to taking his life, likely as a result of his liberal spending while out with Boyer. 
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  (#14) Franklin Made Boyer And Cooke Check In As Husband And Wife

  When Cooke pulled up to the Hacienda Motel, Franklin noticed Boyer in the car. Cooke left Boyer in his Ferrari when he went inside to check in, and Franklin said she didn't seem to be in any kind of distress. Franklin did, however, make Cooke register for the room as a married couple, since that was considered acceptable in 1964.

  Cooke signed in as "Mr. and Mrs. Sam Cooke," apparently not worried about hiding his real name. Some people later pointed out that if he had planned to violate Boyer, he likely would have used an alias. Cooke paid for the room in cash and Franklin allegedly thought the couple was nothing more than a pair of lovers on a late-night quest for a room.
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  (#15) Barbara Cooke, Sam’s Wife, Married His Back-Up Singer Two Months After He Perished

  Although losing her husband was difficult, Barbara Cooke was not surprised he was with another woman. Cooke had a reputation as a womanizer, according to songwriter Bumps Blackwell. The Cookes reportedly had trouble with their marriage, although Barbara claimed she would have helped her husband out of the situation if she could, saying, "Had he called me and told me he was in a hotel without any clothes - to bring him something to wear... I'm his wife. No matter how it might sound, I would have done that."

  Despite her allegiance, she attended Cooke's service with a bartender she had been dating, and the man arrived wearing Cooke's ring and watch. That relationship didn't last long, and Barbara soon began dating Bobby Womack, who was Cooke's backup singer and friend. Womack and Barbara married two months after Cooke perished.
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  (#16) Cooke’s 'A Change Is Gonna Come' Was Released Posthumously And Became A Civil Rights Anthem

  Cooke began his career as a gospel singer before he became involved with pop music. Until he wrote "A Change Is Gonna Come," he often kept social politics out of his songs. As he became more involved in the civil rights movement, Cooke felt the power of songs like Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" and wanted to write something that could inspire change. After he was turned away from a Louisiana venue in 1963 because of his race, Cooke could stay quiet no longer.

  About a month later he wrote "A Change Is Gonna Come," and released the song in February 1964 on Ain't That Good News. Cooke only played the song live once, and didn't release it as one of the first singles, so audiences didn't immediately take notice. It came out as a single after Cooke passed, and was soon embraced as an anthem of the civil rights movement.

  "We all feel in some way or another that a change is gonna come, and he found that lyric," biographer Peter Guralnick said. "And that makes it almost endlessly adaptable to whatever goal, whatever movement is of the moment."

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