Cass Elliot – Choked on a Ham Sandwich?

"Mama" Cass Elliot shot to fame as one of the Mamas and the Papas, perhaps most famously singing lead on "Dream a Little Dream of Me" before embarking on a solo career upon the group's demise. She went on to a run of solo hits that included "It's Getting Better" and "Make Your Own Kind of Music."

Elliot died in her sleep on July 29, 1974 while in London for a two-week engagement at the Palladium. A persistent rumor holds that the famously obese singer died from choking on a ham sandwich. But her cause of death was actually a heart attack brought on by fatty myocardial degeneration due to obesity – though the ham probably didn't help.