John Candy‘s thriving Hollywood career was prematurely cut short when he died of a heart attack at the age of 43. While he portrayed a vibrant, joyful character on the screen, his personal life was far removed from this portrayal. He struggled with obesity his entire life. At the time of his death, Candy was at his heaviest, weighing more than 375 pounds.
Candy believed that he was doomed from an early age, when his father died at the age of 35 due to heart disease. Carl Reiner, the director who worked with the actor in Summer Rental, told PEOPLE, “He felt he had inherited in his genes a Damoclean sword, so it didn’t matter what he did.”
His brother had also suffered a heart attack at a young age, which also made him fear that it would take away his life. However, these beliefs apparently fueled a toxic set of habits, including overeating, substance abuse, and smoking. He was still concerned about his health and frequently dieted and exercised with trainers.
He was on location in Durango, Mexico, for the film Wagons East! when he met with his untimely death. He was found in his hotel room during the early morning hours of March 4, 1994.
Candy was part of a Toronto-based improv comedy group, The Second City. He rose to prominence quickly with the group, and they became a huge hit on television when NBC gave them a platform for the show, Second City Television
In 1987, he won over fans with his performance in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, alongside Steve Martin. He played the lovable Uncle Buck in the John Hughes film of the same name, starring alongside Macaulay Culkin, Jean Kelly, and Gaby Hoffman. He also appeared in a small cameo in Home Alone.
According to his Home Alone co-star and friend, Catherine O’Hara, Candy didn’t want to go to Mexico to film Wagons East!. He reportedly told the actress that he didn’t “want to go down there,” sharing that he felt “something bad is going to happen there” (via Daily Mail).
His other credits included Stripes, The Great Outdoors, Cool Runnings, Spaceballs, and National Lampoon’s Vacation.
New Prime Video Documentary on John Candy Reveals His Struggles With Anxiety
A new documentary on John Candy, titled John Candy: I Like Me, from Colin Hanks is all set to hit Amazon Prime Video on October 10. The documentary shed light on the dark side of his life, where he was fighting battles with himself on a constant basis. On paper, he was a successful movie star and co-owned a Canadian Football League team.
However, his psychological health was at its worst in the final years of his life. Kelvin Pruenster, a friend of the actor, shared in the documentary, “We talked a lot about his psychological health and the pressures that he had and was trying to learn what caused that in his life” (via PEOPLE).
According to his friends and family members who appeared in the documentary, Candy often suffered panic attacks. Pruenster revealed that the actor “started to have crippling chronic anxiety.” This health issue kept Candy from sleeping at night. Preunster shared:
He really suffered and needed to find out what it was about, and did not want to go the medication route. He wanted to understand what was happening to him.
It was also revealed that Candy did not enjoy the crowd attention he got when he was in airports. He reportedly suffered from panic attacks in airports. Preunster shared that Candy was in therapy and would often discuss the discoveries related to “the root of anxiety” with him. He shared, “People don’t talk about it, but so many people suffer from it.”
Candy’s co-star from Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Steve Martin, shared that he was worried about his health at the time. One of his friends, Dave Thomas, shared in the documentary, “I remember John going through doctors like cigarettes. A doctor would tell him, ‘You gotta lose weight, you gotta stop drinking.’ John didn’t want to hear that.”
All You Need to Know About John Candy’s Wife and Two Actor Kids
When John Candy died at the age of 43 in 1994, he was survived by his wife, Rosemary Candy, and two kids, Jennifer and Christopher. Candy met his wife on a blind date in the ’60s and got married in 1979 (via THR). They welcomed Jennifer in 1980 and Christopher in 1984.
Rosemary is a contemporary artist in LA who paints on stretched canvas with acrylic or oil paints. She was often worried about the actor’s health when he was alive. She was afraid that the actor’s large frame put unnecessary stress on his heart.
John Candy and wife Rosemary Margaret Hobor, 1980s pic.twitter.com/4aHbovnHqU
His daughter, Jennifer Candy-Sullivan, pursued a career in acting like her father. She appeared in TV shows like Liv and Maddie, According to Jim, and Where’s This Party?. She was also a co-producer on several shows. She married Bryan Sullivan in 2012 and has a son, Finley John William.
Christopher Candy is also an actor and a writer. His credits include the films Six Feet Apart and Contracted, and the show Where’s The Party?. He opened up about his father in the new documentary, sharing, “I grew up with someone who was already a successful actor, who had made it. The thing that was so big and such a big secret was that he didn’t believe in himself.”
John Candy with his children, Christopher and Jennifer, and dog Cotton,1989 pic.twitter.com/pArWtknod8
He shared that he went into therapy because of his father and how he dealt with his issues. He shared:
People keep their therapy private, or they used to, at least, and now a lot of people talk about it, but I’m very honored to say that my father is the reason that I’ve been in treatment. I’ve been able to work on myself because he went into therapy
Christopher recently penned a message for his father on the 31st anniversary of his death in March on Instagram. He wrote, “All love to my father this day, 31 years after his passing. All my love.”
What do you think about the new documentary on John Candy’s life? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
John Candy: I Like Me will be available on Prime Video from October 10, 2025.
