Amazon Prime just released its documentary on the late actor and comedian, John Candy. Titled John Candy: I Like Me, with reference to his famous scene in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, it is a beautiful reflection of his life, even though it might seem impersonal to a great degree at times.
Despite its many flaws, one of the harrowing and most intimate details that it reveals is the last moments of the late actor’s life. Now, fans of Candy will already know how he passed away, but what they do not know is how he passed away.
Filming Wagons East! In Durango, Mexico, it was no easy job, as his friend and co-star Don Lake revealed in the documentary. The location was far away from home, the temperature was worse, the comedy felt disappointing, and overall, it caused deep frustration and dissatisfaction.
On top of it all, Candy was already suffering from anxiety, a fact that he tried not to tell the production about to not delay it or affect the people involved.
It was in 1991 that his trouble with anxiety began, and by the time it came to filming Wagons East!, things were getting harder and harder. He was missing his family, agitated, and having panic attacks. Having suffered health and weight problems for a long time, addicted to alcohol, he was trying to get his life turned around.
He had a nutritionist along with him on set, but that hardly helped. Family, friends, and fans were all concerned about him, and eventually, the worst they could have thought of happened.
How Did John Candy Die?
John Candy was 43 when he passed away due to a heart attack in Durango, Mexico. While fans know this, his co-star and friend Don Lake revealed in the recently released Prime Video documentary by Colin Hanks how he was found.
I think it was like 2:30 in the morning. He was all alone in a big cowboy house. And then, when I heard how they found him, and it looked like he sat up on the side of the bed, and opened up the Bible.. And was reading from it and just passed away on the bed.
It is heartbreaking to think that a guy who loved giving and taking care of everyone around him, from family and friends to drivers to workmen, was left all alone in his final moments. Lake added,
But I remember thinking how he was trying to find home.
Haunted by his brutal past and the memory of his father passing away at the age of 35 on his fifth birthday, the documentary mentions how Candy thought he was on course for a similar fate. As Hanks remarked, Candy thought he was living on borrowed time, due to his health issues, his heart condition, and crippling anxiety, all intensified due to the pressures of fame and success.
John Candy’s Wife Had a Shocking Dream Before His Death
John Candy: I Like Me is full of nostalgia and praise for the late actor. The documentary speaks warmly of his relationship with his wife, Rosemary Margaret Hobor, who remained married to him till his unfortunate death.
In the Prime Video documentary, Rose revealed that just before his death, she had a harrowing dream:
We were outside a door, and I was with Jennifer and Christopher. And John had died in the other room.
The dream reflects her and their family’s fear of losing John, whose health struggles and anxiety had only gotten worse in the last couple of years of his life. Rose reveals how his weight was becoming an issue, only made worse by drinking and smoking.
While he took care of everyone else around him, he fought with his demons all alone. Despite seeking therapy, his condition only worsened, eventually contributing to his death. Now decades after his death, his friends, family, and fans continue to mourn him, a testament to his everlasting impact on the industry and those around him.
If you have yet to see the documentary, take this as your sign and let us know your thoughts about it.
John Candy: I Like Me is now streaming on Prime Video.
