Cass Elliot died of a heart attack on July 29, 1974, in her sleep at age 32. Despite widespread rumors that she choked on a ham sandwich, an autopsy revealed no food in her windpipe or drugs in her system. The heart failure was likely related to obesity and the effects of extreme dieting she undertook. Her death was peaceful, contrary to the persistent mistaken story about choking, which originated from her manager trying to deflect attention from her weight and late-night lifestyle. She was found dead in her London apartment shortly after a successful run of shows there.