The concert that tragically killed two of Diana Ross’ dogs
To be in a rock star’s dressing room. There must be something incredibly exciting about the atmosphere in the room; as drinks are passed around, the tension builds, and the roar of the crowd creeps through thin walls. They are the birthplace of parties, fallouts and on-tour drama; however, they are also often the site for disaster, as Diana Ross once found out.
As music develops and evolves, some artists climb the ranks and are cemented as legends. Meanwhile, others do well but are left by the wayside as time slowly forgets about them, and they become a footnote in music history. While this applies to artists, it also applies to other aspects of the music industry, such as recording techniques, marketing strategies and venues.
The rise and fall of music venues are packed with stories comparable to the most volatile of rockstars. One of the biggest venues in the ‘70s was the Latin Casino, located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. It was the home to various branches of talent. The likes of Tom Jones, Don Rickles, Wayne Newton, and, of course, Diana Ross graced its stage at one point or another.
It was owned by David Dushoff, who was always adamant about getting the best possible entertainment to perform. “Our performers are the world’s greatest,” said Dushoff when writing about the club he was so proud of building, “The nation’s greatest showcase for every facet of their talents.”
The club saw its peak in the mid-70s when a whole host of different celebrities would frequent the venue for evenings of parties and entertainment. At the club’s height, it employed 300 staff (a huge number for a venue with a 2000 capacity). People were employed to serve drinks and food, and the venue also had people committed to being tuxedoed maître-d’s.
It wasn’t just celebrities who loved attending, though. The club received praise from journalists and critics who went to review it. One review in the Courier Post described it as “A shallow amphitheatre dipping toward a stage plenty large enough for [a] full-scale musical.”
It also said: “The walls are scarlet with white filigree and some black trim; the scarlet is caught up again in the table linen and some service costumes. The orchestra is on a balcony. The subdued lighting is from sunken spotlights in the 40-foot ceiling. A pleasant enough place for a long evening’s beguilement…”
While the venue may have peaked in the mid-70s, it had some rough times before that. It was during these rough times in the ‘60s that two of Diana Ross’ dogs unfortunately died in her dressing room during a show. Because of some run-down areas of the venue, there were often infestations of rats and other unsavoury creatures. In a bid to rid the venue of these, the owners hired exterminators. Ross played shortly after they had visited, and the exterminators had accidentally left behind some cyanide tablets in her dressing room. While performing, her dogs had eaten the tablets and sadly passed away.
The gig took place on December 13th, 1969. Upon returning to her dressing room and finding her dogs, Ross wasn’t happy and decided to sue Latin Casino for $27,500. It remained open for another ten years but eventually had to close in 1978.
