R.I.P. Manuel Uribe, World's Heaviest Man, at 48
Manuel "Meme" Uribe, Guinness record holder for "world's heaviest man," passed away Monday at a hospital in Monterrey, Mexico, the Nuevo Leon health department has confirmed. He was 48.
When he was measured for the world record, in 2006, Uribe weighed 1,230 pounds. At the time of his death, he hadn't left his bed since 2002. At his 2008 wedding to Claudia Solis, Uribe arrived via flat-bed truck, bed and all.
As a younger man, he was heavy, but nowhere near record-breaking, at 280 pounds. He worked as an electronics repairman, and blamed his mostly sedentary lifestyle for his sudden weight gain. His diet at the time, he said, was a typical Mexican one: Beans, rice, tortillas, fries, burgers, and pizza.
After setting the world record, he vowed to do everything he could to lose it again, according to Guinness World Records editor-in-chief Craig Glenday. Uribe used his fame to get on reality TV shows and inspire other obese people as he tried to lose weight. He eventually reduced his weight to 867 pounds.
Although the cause of his death hasn't been confirmed, Uribe had recently been transported to a hospital with an abnormal heartbeat.
His record remains unchallenged.
