Biography of Canadian comedy legend John Candy delves into star’s private battles
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/10/2025 (347 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A new biography of Canadian comedy legend John Candy delves into the private battles he faced away from the cameras.
Toronto-born author Paul Myers says he didn’t set out to dig up dirt on the “S-C-T-V” funnyman, but wanted to know more about the creative drive that led to indelible performances in “Splash,” “Uncle Buck” and “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”
His book “John Candy: A Life in Comedy” includes interviews with many of Candy’s famous friends, including Tom Hanks, Dan Aykroyd, Catherine O’Hara and Dave Thomas.
They mostly describe a kind and generous soul who was often as jovial as his onscreen characters.
But some also say Candy privately stewed over fat jokes directed at him in scripts and interviews.
Others recall anxiety attacks, and Candy’s struggle to say no, including to a final film job that sent him to a high-altitude set in sweltering Mexico.
He died there of heart failure in 1994.
Myers says Candy would have turned 75 on October 31st had he lived.
“John Candy: A Life in Comedy” comes out tomorrow.
Advertisement Advertise With Us
