"..., owing to illness"

[Odessa Dawn]

I couldn't attend, owing to illness.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/owing+to

I don’t think it is correct to use the comma in that sentence since owing to isn't used as a starter word. On the other hand, it is correct to be inserted in the sentence below, for example:

Owing to illness, I couldn't attend.

Am I correct?

 

[Grumpy]

I would use a comma there, for no other reason than to reflect the pause I would insert if I were speaking the phrase out loud. Incidentally, I wouldn't use "owing to" in that context. I would say "because of", and I would phrase it as "I couldn't attend, because of illness" or, more likely, "I couldn't attend because I was ill".