John Candy’s rise to stardom started in 1972 with his acceptance into the Second City comedy troupe in Toronto.
There he would become a regular writer and performer on the television program SCTV alongside other up-and-coming comics.
With SCTV moving to network television in 1981, he would win awards that year and the next for writing for the show, including an Emmy Award.
However, Candy’s big break came with the movie Splash in 1984, where he played alongside Tom Hanks.
This propelled his fame to greater heights as he became in high demand for the goofy side character in many movies over a decade. Just as he reached his peak, however, tragedy struck with his untimely death.
10 /10 Circumstances Of Death
John Candy passed away on the set of Wagons East near Durango, Mexico. After shooting his last scene for the movie, he celebrated by cooking a late dinner for his assistants.
He talked to his costars Richard Lewis and Robert Picardo and spoke to his children to say goodnight. After heading to bed, he would never wake up.
9 /10 Unexpected Death
Candy passed away unexpectedly on March 4, 1994. While his death was presumed to be from a heart attack, the exact cause is still uncertain as no autopsy was ever performed.
Candy was 43 years old when he passed and left behind his wife, Rosemary Hobor, and two children, Christopher Michael and Jennifer Anne.
8 /10 Laying Candy To Rest
His funeral was held at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Los Angeles. However, Candy was laid to rest in a mausoleum at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.
There, he lies close to fellow actor Fred Mac Murray. A unique memorial service was held for Candy by his former improvisation troupe, the Second City, on March 19, 1994, which was broadcasted across Canada.
7 /10 Factors Of Candy's Death
While the exact cause of his death was uncertain, certain lifestyle factors could have contributed to his death.
Candy struggled with obesity and had bouts of binge eating due to issues in his career, and weighed over 300 pounds at some parts of his life.
His family also had an increased risk of heart attacks; he smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, was a heavy drinker, and sometimes used cocaine.
Candy also frequently went on bouts of weight loss. Leading up to his death, he was also under severe stress due to the movies he was acting in, particularly Wagons East.
6 /10 Suffering From Depression
Before his passing, Candy suffered from depression due to one of his closest friends passing, John Belushi. Belushi died of a drug overdose in 1982, but his death significantly impacted Candy’s life decisions.
Candy decided to clean up his act and get his career in order. This would later feed into his death as, like Belushi, he was heavyset and engaged in some unhealthy lifestyle choices that led to his death.
5 /10 Works In Production After Passing
At the time of his death, Candy was working on several projects. He had just completed his directorial debut: a comedy for Fox Television, Hostage for a Day.
Additionally, he had completed two-thirds of his scenes in Wagons East. Lastly, his most recently completed work was Canadian Bacon, which was released in 1995.
4 /10 Unfinished Projects
Candy’s unfinished projects included movies in talks and roles that he was scheduled to play but had not yet taken place.
He was in talks to portray Ignatius J. Reilly, a now shelved film adaptation of John Kennedy Toole’s Pulitzer Prize winner, A Confederacy of Dunces.
Additionally, he was to play the role of Redfeather, a turkey in Disney’s film, Pocahontas but was cut after his death.
3 /10 Shelved Projects Due To Candy's Passing
Several projects were later shelved after Candy’s passing. These included him portraying Atuk in a film adaptation of The Incomparable Atuk and Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle in a biopic based on the silent comedian’s life.
The projects were labeled as “cursed” due to Candy, John Belushi, Sam Kinison, and Chris Farley all dying before any films were made after having some attachment to the roles.
2 /10 Legacy Of John Candy
Candy’s legacy has continued up to the modern-day after his passing. He was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 1998 and was featured in 2006 on a postage stamp by Canada Post.
Most recently, on October 30, 2020, the mayor of Toronto, John Tory, proclaimed “John Candy Day” in honor of what would have been his 70th birthday.
1 /10 John Candy's Children
Though his children were young when Candy passed, he still had a significant impact on their lives. Both of his children have followed their father and work in the entertainment industry in television and film.
Jennifer Candy has appeared in Liv and Maddie and produced several TV shows. Chris Candy has had appearances on shows like Murder in the First. Both children started acting on one of their father’s projects, Camp Candy.