John Candy, the lovable giant of comedy and the subject of the upcoming documentary, John Candy: I Like Me, left the world far too soon on March 4, 1994, at just 43 years old. The beloved comedian passed away after suffering a heart attack while filming the 1994 western Wagons East in Mexico.
Known for his warm humor, unforgettable characters, and gift for making audiences laugh, Candy’s charm and comedic timing made him a cherished figure in comedy. His legacy continues to inspire fans and performers alike.
Behind his joyful on-screen presence, however, Candy struggled with health problems, including obesity, heart issues, and addiction. These challenges are believed to have ultimately contributed to his untimely death, cutting short the life of one of comedy’s brightest stars.
John Candy Battled Severe Anxiety in His Final Years
Though John Candy became known for bringing joy and laughter to millions through his unforgettable performances, life behind the scenes was much different. The actor quietly battled crippling anxiety and frequent panic attacks that weighed heavily on him.
By the early 1990s, at the height of his career, Candy was dealing with severe anxiety that often left him exhausted and unable to sleep, something his friends and family revealed in the new documentary, John Candy: I Like Me.
“He started to have crippling chronic anxiety. He would have it for the whole day,” Kelvin Pruenster said in the documentary, as per People. Additionally, the late actor also suffered from serious panic attacks, especially in crowded places such as airports.
And Pruenster also shared that Candy wanted to understand his condition, but without taking a “medication route.” He explained,
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.
Pruenster also recalled that Candy openly discussed his struggles with close friends, hoping to address the root causes of his anxiety. Despite his warmth on-screen, the comedian carried the weight of personal battles in private.
John Candy Felt He Had Inherited a Damoclean Sword
In addition to anxiety, John Candy reportedly also struggled with obesity and other risk factors for a heart attack, including a strong family history. Candy was also known for smoking a pack a day, battling unhealthy eating habits, and struggling with addiction, all of which added to his health issues. Still, he made repeated efforts to improve his lifestyle.
However, Carl Reiner, who directed Candy in Summer Rental in 1985, has shared that Candy often felt as though he had inherited a “Damoclean sword” from his family’s history of heart disease. “He felt he had inherited in his genes a Damoclean sword,” he told People, adding, “So it didn’t matter what he did.”
His son Christopher Michael has also explained, “He grew up with heart disease… His father had a heart attack, his brother had a heart attack. It was in the family.” However, he argued that despite that, Candy took the best care of himself.
“He always worked on his weight and his health,” Michael told The Hollywood Reporter in a 2016 interview, sharing that he tried to manage his weight and improve his health through diets, trainers, and lifestyle changes. “He had trainers and would work at whatever the new diet was.”
Christopher Michael and his sister, Jennifer Anne, have taken those lessons to heart, becoming more proactive about their own health and fitness. They feel fortunate to have greater awareness and information about the family’s medical history than their father did, though they also wish their father had recognized the seriousness of it sooner.
The upcoming documentary John Candy: I Like Me explores these struggles while celebrating the legacy of one of comedy’s most beloved stars.
John Candy: I Like Me will premiere on Prime Video on October 10, 2025.
