Short Biography

John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian comedian and actor. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto, Ontario branch of The Second City. Candy died of a heart attack in 1994.

Candy died in his sleep on March 4, 1994, while on location in Durango, Mexico, filming Wagons East!. He was 43. An autopsy revealed that he had end-stage heart disease and advanced atherosclerosis, which caused a coronary embolism, leading to a myocardial infarction (heart attack) and a fatal cardiac arrhythmia. Candy had been making a significant effort to improve his health in the last year of his life; he had recently quit smoking and had started losing weight. His family had a history of heart disease, and he had been warned by doctors several times before to reduce his weight, but Candy had trouble doing so.[citation needed] There is some public evidence to indicate Candy was highly self-conscious about his weight all his life. A few years before his death, he cancelled a scheduled appearance hosting a CBC awards show because the ceremony`s advertising campaign jokingly touted him as "the biggest star in Canada." (Leslie Nielsen hosted instead.) Candy was survived by his wife, Rosemary Margaret (Hobor), whom he married in 1979, and their children, Jennifer and Christopher. His funeral Mass was held at St. Martin of Tours Church. Candy is buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. On March 18, 1994, a special memorial service for Candy, produced by his former improv troupe The Second City, was broadcast live on CHCH TV (Hamilton, Ontario) and transmitted via satellite to eight stations across Canada.[3] Following his death, the sign atop comedy club The Laugh Factory honored Candy and fellow comedian Bill Hicks (who had died several days earlier): "Rest in peace; make God laugh."

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