"Mama" Cass Elliot, was a noted American singer who performed with The Mamas & The Papas. She also enjoyed a successful solo career, releasing nine albums. Elliot, known for her sense of humor and optimism, was considered by some to be the most charismatic member of The Mamas & The Papas; her warm, distinctive voice was a large factor in their success. She is best remembered for her vocals on the group's Billboard hits California Dreamin', Monday Monday, and Words of Love, as well as her first hit as an independent act, Dream a Little Dream of Me. Cass was in love with fellow Mamas & Papas band member Denny Doherty. His affair with another married band member, Michelle Phillips, was one of the causes of the break-up of the band. Elliot resented Michelle's perceived betrayal of their friendship and helped to support the band's decision to fire Michelle in June 1966. The urban legend holds that Elliot died choking on a ham sandwich. This is incorrect, later that week the coroner found no food in her trachea and determined that the cause of death was heart failure. Nevertheless, the rumor spread, with the popular imagination embellishing that it was a ham sandwich (possibly based on an association with ham, pigs, and her obesity). Another version of the story holds that the doctor found a sandwich or partially eaten sandwich in her room, causing him to speculate about the cause of death. This urban legend led to the joke that "if Mama Cass had given Karen Carpenter the ham sandwich, they'd both be alive today". Another popular myth about Elliot is that her vocal range was improved after she was hit on the head by copper tubing shortly before joining the band. Elliot had been dogging her friend and former bandmate Denny Doherty to let her join the band. The myth purports that while Cass and the band members were in the Virgin Islands, copper tubing fell on her head and miraculously changed her voice. The myth was started by band member John Phillips as a justification for letting her into the band after initially refusing to allow her to join. He repeats the story himself on the PBS special California Dreamin': The Songs of the Mamas and the Papas, insisting it is true. Casey Kasem repeated the story during his show. Elliot herself lends validation to the story, however, so it may not be false. From an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in 1968, Elliot was asked, "Is that a true story about a pipe falling on your head…" Elliot responded: "It’s true. Honest to God".