Had been battling obesity his entire life and in his later years had maxed out at over 350 pounds, resulting in him suffering from a number of life threatening complications including diabetes and congestive heart failure. It 1988, he had a form of weight loss surgery known as a mini-gastric bypass, and by 1990, his weight dropped to 220 pounds and improved his health dramatically.
[about his close friend and fellow actor, the late Lyle Alzado] Even under the
worst circumstances, he exhibited the best of himself. There was not
that sense of self-pity. He was a genuinely good guy. When he passed
away, there was a space left; and Lyle was a big man, so it was a big
space.
