John Candy

John Candy died of a heart attack in his sleep just hours after completing what colleagues called a classic comedy scene for his new film "Wagons East." The portly comedian was 43. Candy's body was found early Friday morning in his residence on the Durango, Mexico, set for the film in which he played a drunken stagecoach driver. The veteran of some 40 movies, including "Uncle Buck" and "Stripes," was dead before paramedics arrived, said Hector Partida, a spokesman for the government of Durango state. "John Candy was a gentleman and a great comic talent," said comedian Steve Martin, who starred with Candy in "Planes, Trains & Automobiles." "I count myself extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to work with him." People who were working with Candy in Mexico said he showed no signs of ill health. His death was not necessarily a result of his estimated 275 pounds, an expert in heart disease said. "The relationship between weight and heart disease is not as great as some people think," said James Dwyer, an associate professor in preventative medicine at the University of Southern California. Dwyer - an expert in the field, but not a doctor for the actor - said more important factors were smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and a lack of exercise. Candy, who was 6 feet 3 inches tall, smoked, and associates said his weight in recent months was startling. He had dieted at the Pritikin Longevity Center and lost 75 pounds for 1985's "Summer Rental." "Obese people tend to be less active and people who are overweight tend to have higher cholesterol levels and higher blood pressure," Dwyer said. "But it is not a fact that an overweight person is three to four times at risk" of a heart attack. William Sanderson, a bit player in "Wagons East," said Candy had a bad back but otherwise appeared well. "He seemed fine. It's a tough shoot. He's up on a horse all day," Sanderson said in a telephone interview from Durango. Sanderson, the film's co-star Richard Lewis, and its producer Gary Goodman all said Candy's performance as a 1860s wrong-way stagecoach driver was outstanding. "God willing, the world will get to see this performance," Sanderson said, noting that Thursday night Candy had been stellar in a scene reminiscent of the famed Western spoof "Cat Ballou." "Everyone should know that the night before he died, myself and (co-star) Robert Picardo were blessed to be in a scene with John Candy which showed all of us his genius," Lewis said. Goodman said production had been suspended and it was not decided if the film could or would be completed. "We're in the process of sorting it out," Goodman said. "It's a tremendous shock right now." Candy first gained fame on the cult hit TV series "Second City T.V." He went on to star in "Splash," "Volunteers," "National Lampoon's Vacation" and "The Great Outdoors." The Canadian citizen co-starred in last year's "Cool Runnings," a hit film about the Jamaican bobsled team. He also had small part in the comedy blockbuster "Home Alone" and Olive Stone's "JFK." Survivors include his wife, the former Rosemary Margaret Hobor, daughter Jennifer, 14, and son Christopher, 9. Interment will be in the Mausoleum at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.