John Candy was a comedian, also obese, also died young. See 
Only the Lonely for his best performance on film (a very charming movie, I particularly love the moment where he covers the statuette of Mary with his cap in the bedroom 

)
 
I believe they're trying to comply with journalistic standards and try to reach involved parties for comment 
 John Franklin Candy
 
John Franklin Candy (
October 31, 
1950 – 
March 4, 
1994) was a 
Canadian comedian and 
actor. Candy rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of 
The Second City, often playing lovable losers and characters with bad luck but big hearts. His 
television and 
film roles were mostly comedic, such as his memorable characters in 
Spaceballs, 
Stripes, 
The Blues Brothers, 
Canadian Bacon, 
Brewster's Millions, 
Only The Lonely, 
Uncle Buck, 
The Great Outdoors, and 
Planes, Trains & Automobiles, but he also played serious characters in films like 
JFK and 
Cool Runnings.