March 4th marks 25 years since the day of Canadian actor and comedian John Candy’s death. He was a prolific actor, remembered for films such as Home Alone, Spaceballs and Uncle Buck, and many from the Hollywood sphere are paying tribute to the late actor.
Candy was also known for his ties to the sports world. He was a huge NHL fan, even appearing in a few hockey skits during his time on the Toronto-based Second City Television comedy show. John Candy as Billy Stemhovilichski in Power Play is a must watch for hockey fans.
Candy’s final film, Canadian Bacon, features a brawl in the stands of a hockey game, as one of the initial events that sets the plot of the film in motion. (So Canadian!) The film was released after Candy’s death and dedicated to his memory.
Candy also appeared in 1993’s Cool Runnings — it was in fact the last of his movies to be released during his lifetime — a sports comedy that loosely adapts the story of Jamaica’s first national bobsleigh team in the Olympic Games, with Candy in the role of coach Irving Blitzer.
Outside of his acting career, Candy was also able to actualize his love for sports by forming a high-profile ownership group with Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall to buy the Toronto Argonauts in 1991. Under their tenure, the Argos were noted for their willingness to spend on players, even competing with the NFL for some highly regarded prospects.
Candy was the subject of a TSN documentary released in 2011 titled “True Double Blue,” which examined his role in that Argos ownership group that spanned the 1991 to 1993 seasons and oversaw the team’s 1991 Grey Cup championship.
Candy passed on March 4, 1994, due to an untimely heart attack while filming for Wagons East! Rest easy, John.
