On what would have been his 66th birthday, John Candy’s children Jen and Chris Candy spoke about their late father.
Candy passed away in March 1994 of a heart attack. At the time, his son Chris was nine years old and Jen was 14. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, they were open about details concerning their father on and off screen.
They said his father had a love for animals, but his main priority was as a family man.
When he passed away, they revealed how they each had spoken to him the night before. Chris had told his father he loved him and Jen did as well, but she was distracted with homework. They were fine talking about the event since it was a cathartic experience for the siblings.
After attending mass at school, the kids were pulled from class and found out what happened.
In addition to discussing what happened, they talked about their father’s career and how some of his iconic roles were touched with his own personality. Along with his character Johnny LaRue from Second City Television, Jen said her father was also a mix of “Uncle Buck and Del Griffith.” Griffith was his character in Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
He was also an avid supporter of charities, including the Pediatric AIDS Foundation. His daughter said, “He liked to make people laugh and feel good. And with certain kinds of charity work, especially with kids, he could do that and that made him feel good.”