EXCLUSIVE: The Truth About John Candy Overlooked in Ryan Reynolds Produced Doco — 'Lonely' Comic 'Gorged' on 'Enough Food for Three Men' Days Before His Tragic Death
John Candy's eating had gotten out of control before his fatal heart attack.
Sept. 8 2025, Published 6:50 p.m. ET
John Candy was headed down the road to disaster during his final months, working – and eating – himself to death, RadarOnline.com can report.
He'd just finished two movies in a row when he headed to Durango, Mexico, to film Wagons East, and hadn't been home to see his family in months.
The actor was at the end of a three-movie filming marathon.
Candy was just days away from wrapping up his work on the wild west comedy in the spring of 1994, when the grossly overweight comedian suffered a heart attack and passed away at the age of 43.
He had been home with his family only three weeks out of the last year, and turned to food to fill his lonely heart and stomach.
Those who were in the Mexican city with him at the time recalled the actor once eating five pounds of ham at a single meal and ordering 30 pizzas for a party with just 10 guests.
Dinner for Three
He was a notorious smoker as well
"Hе told his maid that in the morning he couldn't get up without his 'eye opener' – 10 pieces of buttered toast," a landlord at his long-term apartment claimed. "Then he went on to the set and had his regular breakfast!"
Waiter Rafael Cisneros, who worked at one of Candy's favorite Durango restaurants, Fonda de la Tia Chona, added: "John came in for dinner and ordered enough food for three men!"
Candy reportedly ordered the combination platter and then eight rounds of a fried cheese turnover. He followed that up with a sope dinner, and polished off three large margaritas as well.
Only the Lonely
Locals in Mexico recounted his heavy meals.
An owner at another of Candy's favorite restaurants said deep down, the binge-eating, hard-drinking comic was a "lonely man who desperately missed his family."
"He called his wife and kids every single night," the owner shared. "When he ate at our restaurant, he gorged on pizza and quesadillas. Not even the dietitian he brought along could control his eating.
"One night, John sent his dietitian home with his chauffeur. But he whispered to the chauffeur, 'On the way back, bring me a few pizzas!"
Final Film
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Candy died of a heart attack while filming the movie 'Wagons East'.
Candy's life and legacy are the subject of the new Amazon Prime documentary John Candy: I Like Me. Famous friends and family pay emotional tributes to the larger-than-life funnyman, who dealt with some serious personal demons.
While filming Wagons East in Durango, Candy defied doctors' orders to lose weight. The 6-foot-3 star tipped the scales at around 375 pounds when he died with a massive and still growing 59-inch waistline. He was also an avid smoker and drinker.
Candy was reportedly so huge that he had to have an extra-sturdy horse flown in to support him during filming. And it took two burly men to push him up a stepladder and onto the horse's back.
"In the last month of filming, wardrobe people told me he'd added two inches to his waistline and they had to let out all his clothes," said Fernando Cavillo Vidal, deputy director of Tourism and Film for Durango.
As a friend disclosed at the time: "John didn't realize he was killing himself with his eating habits. Even though he was supposed to lose weight, he told me, 'I'm the funny fat guy. That's my image. I can't lose weight!'"
