John Candy's Tragic Final Moments Revealed: Beloved Actor 'Ate Himself to Death' in Colorado While Filming What Would Be His Last Movie
John Candy died tragically at age 43.
Sept. 5 2025, Published 7:40 p.m. ET
John Candy was just days away from wrapping up his work on the wild west comedy Wagons East in the spring of 1994, when the grossly overweight comedian suffered a heart attack and passed away at the age of 43.
Now, RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal his tragic final moments – and the warning signs that were overlooked.
Candy's life and legacy are explored in a new documentary on Amazon Prime.
Candy's life and legacy are the subject of the highly anticipated 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, Colorado, 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.
The comic's voracious appetite saw him reportedly eating six chickens at one sitting in Durango and five pounds of ham at another. He was so huge that he had to have an extra-sturdy horse flown in to support him during filming.
"John didn't realize he was killing himself with his eating habits," disclosed Elena de Sanchez, a friend of the actor in Durango, where he'd been filming since December. "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!'"
Candy's Last Day
He was filming the comedy Wagons East when he suffered a fatal heart attack.
The last day of his life, Candy worked long, grueling hours in 80-degree-plus heat and didn't return to his house until 10 p.m. He reportedly had some spaghetti, then decided to take a shower at 11 p.m.
The night watchman at Candy's rented home away from home was the last person to see him alive. He recalled: "I was outside shortly after midnight when he came out in his bathrobe for some fresh air before going to sleep. He'd had a long, hard day, and he told me, 'I'm so tired, all I want to do is go home and be with my family.'
"I'd seen him come home tired before, but never as exhausted as this."
Finding the Body
Candy had addictions to food, drinking and cigarettes.
Alejandro Castillo, whose family owned the rental house, said the next morning, Candy's bodyguard, Gustavo Populus, let himself in after not hearing from him.
"Gustavo banged on John's bedroom door for two minutes, and finally opened it and looked in," Castillo recalled. "There, lying in the bed, half in and half out, was John Candy, obviously dead.
"By the position of his body, it looked as if he had tried to get out of bed and fallen backward."
Candy was pronounced dead at 9 a.m. March 3, 1994.
Last Rites
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A line from his character in 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' inspired the title of the documentary.
Dr. Guillermo Pacheco Valenzuela, medical examiner for the city of Durango, arrived a few hours later.
"Candy was still lying the way he'd been found," he said. "He was wearing a long red and black checkered nightshirt down to his knees. His mouth and fingertips were purple, which is the classic sign of death by a heart attack."
The doctor continued: "Candy was grossly overweight. I estimate his weight at between 350 and 375 pounds. I could see rolls of fat on his belly and legs."
The star's body lay in bed until the official investigation was completed, and a local priest gave Candy the last rites. Then, at 4 p.m., an ambulance arrived to take the body away.
