You may be thinking of Mama Cass in the late 70s, who died of a heart attack but was popularly cited as choking on a ham sandwich?

That whole story is horrifying and hilarious. Thanks for sharing!

I found a good deal on large diameter pipe cutters, and I like that they are very silent and surprisingly quick to use so I don’t disturb my neighbors when I am doing large scale plumbing in my basement.

Its the book Anathem’s main plot.