Heaviest Person Ever: The Legacy of Jon Brower Minnoch

American Jon Brower Minnoch was born on September 29, 1941, on Bainbridge Island, Washington, the only child of John and June Minnoch. Later, he and his family moved about 30 minutes north of Seattle.

From a young age, Jon's weight was noticeably above average. By the time he was 12 years old, he weighed 294 pounds (133 kg), signaling a trajectory that would continue throughout his life.

Despite his weight, Jon had a childhood filled with normal activities, and he attended school just like his peers. He graduated from Bothell High School.

On June 8, 1963, when Jon was 21 years old, he married his first wife, 18-year-old Carolyn Jean McArdle, who preferred to go by her middle name.

Jon and Jean went on to have two sons, John and Jason, and the family was well liked among their neighbors, who described them as friendly.

The married couple operated Bainbridge Island Taxi Co., for which Jon moved back to Bainbridge Island and either drove or owned taxi cabs for more than 15 years.

As Jon grew older, his weight continued to rise rapidly. By the time he was 22, he stood just over 6 feet tall and weighed 392 pounds (178 kg).

In 1966, he weighed 700 pounds (317 kg). Ten years later, he weighed 975 pounds (442 kg).

Jon developed significant health issues as a result of his weight, with doctors noting it was a major contributing factor when it came to the heart, circulation and respiratory issues that troubled him.

Jon himself blamed his excess weight primarily on water retention over anything else — for example, instead of excessive food intake or poor lifestyle choices, which are often causes of obesity.

It's possible Jon was suffering from a rare combination of factors that led to the accumulation of excess fluid in his body. This condition, known as massive generalized edema, may have caused his body to retain large amounts of fluid, compounding his already life-threatening obesity.

By early 1978, Jon was so tired of being overweight he decided to put himself on an extreme diet, for which he ate only about 500 calories per day for 60 days. This low caloric intake, plus a cold he developed, weakened him so much he could barely move or breathe.

Jon's health deteriorated to the point where he was suffering from congestive heart failure and respiratory failure. He had no choice but to go to a hospital if he wanted to continue fighting for his life.

According to the Daily Record in Ellensburg, Washington, and other sources, in March 1978, a dozen firemen from Bainbridge Island removed windows at Jon's home to get him into an ambulance. They carried him out on a thick piece of plywood and carefully transferred him to University Hospital in Seattle. He was 36 years old.

"I was being crushed by my own weight, you could put it like that," Jon told the Wisconsin State Journal in 1979 of the experiences that led up to this ordeal.

After arriving at the hospital, Jon was placed on a respirator. The hospital fastened two beds together for him. To turn him, 13 people were necessary.

An endocrinologist, Dr. Robert Schwartz, who attended to Jon in the hospital, estimated that he weighed at least 1,400 pounds (635 kg) or more.

During his time at University Hospital, Jon embarked on another diet. But this time, he was under the supervision of doctors, and his food intake was about 1,200 calories per day. Additionally, his medical team put him on a diuretic.

Although he was in constant pain and had to essentially relearn how to sit, stand and move, he practiced walking each day in his hospital room, steadying himself on his bed or a wheelchair.

Jon adhered to his doctors' plans and made incredible progress, shedding weight rapidly. Thanks to the diuretic, he was also losing nearly 8 quarts of fluid per day. By January 1979, Jon was down to 540 pounds (245 kg).

"The nurses and doctors here have been fantastic," he told the Daily Record. "There is nothing I wouldn't do for them." He told the newspaper he wanted to be 210 pounds (95 kg) by Christmas.

Several months later, in July, Jon was about 475 pounds (215 kg), although he told the Wisconsin State Journal he didn't want anyone to take his photograph until he weighed significantly less. Jon was proud of his progress and wanted to make the most of the help he'd received. "I've waited 37 years to get this chance at a new life," he told the newspaper.

Nearly two years after Jon arrived, the hospital staff determined he had made enough progress to be allowed to go home. When they discharged him, he weighed 476 pounds (216 kg). His extreme weight loss was evidence of his ability to persevere even against insurmountable challenges.

Jon had made great strides in terms of his health, but at the same time, his personal life was suffering a setback. In 1980, he and Jean divorced.

Despite his monumental achievement in having lost more than 900 pounds (408 kg), Jon's health remained precarious. In October 1981, he was once again hospitalized, having gained back nearly 200 pounds (91 kg) in just seven days.

While the length of Jon's second major hospital stay is unknown, it's evident he tried to continue living as normal a life as possible. By 1982 he had moved on from his divorce, and on January 25, 1982, he married his second wife, Shirley Griffin.

The couple remained married until Jon Brower Minnoch passed away on September 4, 1983, just three and a half weeks shy of his 42nd birthday.

Jon's death certificate listed cardiac arrest as his primary cause of death, with respiratory failure, restrictive lung disease and obesity being contributing factors.

He was interred at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Seattle, in a casket that measured 5 feet by 7.5 feet (1.5 meters by 2.3 meters) and spanned two burial plots. About 11 men were required to place Jon on the truck that carried him to his final resting place.

While the world may commonly remember Jon Brower Minnoch as the heaviest person ever according to Guinness World Records, it's worth honoring the man's dignity and strength, too.

Jon's story is a deeply human one, marked by struggle, grit and positivity, even against all odds. During his lifetime, he changed people's perceptions about weight gain and weight loss. Because of him, medical professionals also gleaned rare insights into the effects of extreme weight on the human body.

Ultimately, Jon's life and legacy serve as a reminder of the complexities of obesity and the importance of compassion for people of all sizes.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.