Gail Collins Pappalardi (February 2, 1941 in USA - December 6, 2013 in Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico) was a lyricist and an artist, and also the wife of
Felix Pappalardi (
Mountain). She contributed lyrics to many Mountain songs and co-wrote
Cream’s
World of Pain with Pappalardi, and
Strange Brew with Pappalardi and
Eric Clapton. Both songs are included on the album
Disraeli Gears. As Gail Collins, her artwork appears on six of the seven, original Mountain album covers;
Climbing!,
Nantucket Sleighride,
Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On,
Twin Peaks and
Avalanche.
On April 17, 1983, Gail Collins Pappalardi shot and kiled her husband in their NYC apartment by a single gunshot to his neck at close range. They led a troubled, open marriage, and she claimed it was an accident. She served a short term in prison, and disappeared from public life. She was found dead in a small, Mexican village where many American expats live, after having been treated for cancer for some time.