The man once recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's most obese living person has died at the age of 41 after developing a serious kidney infection.
A Life Defined by Extreme Weight
Juan Pedro Franco passed away on 24 December while receiving treatment at a hospital in Aguascalientes, a state in central Mexico. His condition deteriorated rapidly due to complications linked to a renal infection. His death was confirmed by his long-term physician, Dr José Antonio Castaneda, who stated Franco developed systemic complications in his final days.
Franco first captured global attention in 2017 when his extraordinary weight was officially documented. At his peak, he weighed an astonishing 1,322 pounds (approximately 94 stone). Years of extreme obesity had left him largely confined to bed and unable to move without assistance.
A Dramatic Medical Journey
Later in 2017, under Dr Castaneda's care, Franco embarked on an intensive medical programme. His treatment plan was multi-faceted:
- Adopting a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fruit and vegetables.
- Undergoing two major bariatric surgeries: first a gastric sleeve operation, followed by a gastric bypass.
This combined approach yielded dramatic results. Franco lost almost half of his body weight, a reduction that was life-changing. The most significant milestone was regaining the ability to walk after years of complete immobility.
Doctors noted the weight loss drastically reduced his risks of diabetes-related issues and cardiovascular strain. However, his long history of illness meant he remained vulnerable. In a remarkable testament to his fight, Franco survived a bout of COVID-19 in 2020, despite being in an extremely high-risk category.
A Legacy of Raising Awareness
Dr Castaneda later described Franco's case as one of the most complex he had ever treated. He emphasised that Franco's openness about his struggles helped to frame obesity as a chronic disease requiring compassionate, long-term medical management, not just willpower.
His death invites comparison with other documented cases of extreme obesity. Jon Brower Minnoch of the United States, once estimated at 1,400 pounds and the heaviest person ever documented, also died at age 41 in 1983 from heart and respiratory failure. Another Mexican man, Manuel Uribe, who weighed over 1,200 pounds, lost significant weight through medical intervention but died in 2014 at 48 from liver failure linked to long-term obesity-related illness.
The story of Juan Pedro Franco is ultimately one of profound medical challenge and a hard-fought battle for mobility, which brought global attention to the severe complexities of managing extreme obesity.
