Remembering John Candy: A Life in Comedy, Laughter, and Heartbreak

Toronto International Film Festival opens with a moving documentary on the beloved Canadian comic, as a new biography and streaming release celebrate his enduring legacy.

John Candy is having a moment again — and not just in cinema, but in the hearts of everyone who loved him. More than three decades after his tragic death at the age of 43, the Canadian comic genius continues to inspire laughter, nostalgia, and deep affection. This year, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) marked its 50th anniversary by opening with John Candy: I Like Me, a documentary that pays tribute to the big-hearted star. The film, directed by Colin Hanks, will premiere globally on Amazon Prime Video starting October 10.

This heartfelt tribute comes alongside the release of a new biography, John Candy: A Life in Comedy by Paul Myers (brother of Mike Myers), and follows last year’s 40th anniversary celebration of Splash — the film that helped launch Candy’s Hollywood career. Together, these projects ensure that Candy’s warmth, humor, and humanity remain alive for both longtime fans and new generations discovering his work.

A Star Loved by Friends and Colleagues

The documentary, packed with rare footage and touching anecdotes, features reflections from family, friends, and co-stars including Dan Aykroyd, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Andrea Martin, and even Tom Hanks, who starred alongside Candy in Splash. Each testimony paints a portrait of a man who radiated generosity but struggled with insecurities beneath his easygoing charm.

Director Colin Hanks captures both the joy Candy brought to audiences and the anxieties that haunted him. “This industry is very unhealthy for people-pleasers,” one friend reflects, summing up the emotional toll Candy quietly carried.

From Second City to Hollywood Icon

Born and raised in Toronto, John Franklin Candy lost his father to heart disease at the age of five. That loss left a mark he carried throughout his life. Despite being shy and introverted, Candy blossomed on the stage with improv troupe Second City, eventually becoming a standout on SCTV. His sharp impressions — from Luciano Pavarotti to Julia Child and Orson Welles — made Hollywood take notice.

From there, his career skyrocketed. Steven Spielberg cast him in 1941, Mel Brooks immortalized him as the lovable half-dog Barf in Spaceballs, and John Hughes found in him a muse for eight iconic films, including Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and Uncle Buck. His ability to balance comedy with vulnerability made him unforgettable.

The Man Behind the Laughter

Yet Candy’s struggles were never far from the surface. Haunted by the early death of his father and the loss of his colleague John Belushi, he battled anxiety, weight issues, and the pressures of Hollywood. His wife Rose recalls how Candy often tried to shed pounds through workouts and diets, but the industry often demanded he stay “big.”

Even as his film choices faltered in the early ’90s, Candy poured his energy into other passions, co-owning the Toronto Argonauts football team with Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall. But by then, panic attacks had become frequent. On March 4, 1994, while filming Wagons East in Mexico, John Candy died in his sleep — leaving behind a legacy of laughter and a void that still aches today.

A Legacy That Lives On

Colin Hanks’ documentary doesn’t shy away from Candy’s struggles but chooses to highlight his humanity and heart. With moving performances, including Cynthia Erivo’s rendition of “Every Time You Go Away,” the film reminds us that Candy was more than a comedian — he was a husband, a father, a friend, and a man who gave pieces of himself in every performance.

Thirty years later, audiences still feel that gift. What’s not to like?