Jon Brower Minnoch (September 29, 1941 – September 4, 1983) was an American man who holds the record for being the heaviest human ever documented. At his peak, he weighed approximately 1,400 lb (635 kg; 100 stone). Minnoch struggled with obesity since childhood, typically weighing 800–900 lb (363–408 kg; 57–64 stone) during his adult years. Despite his condition, he ran a taxi company and worked as a driver around his hometown of Bainbridge Island, Washington.
Jon Brower Minnoch Early Life and Family
From a young age, Minnoch was obese. At 12, he weighed 294 lb (133 kg; 21 stone), and by 22, his weight had increased to 392 lb (178 kg; 28 stone). By 1963, he weighed 700 lb (320 kg; 50 stone) and stood 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) tall. His body fat percentage was estimated at 80%. While Minnoch claimed that water retention was the main reason for his obesity, British obesity specialist David Haslam argued that the retention was a consequence of his extreme weight rather than the cause.
Jon Brower Minnoch Personal Life and Career
Despite his severe obesity, Minnoch led a relatively normal life. He graduated from Bothell High School and drove taxis for 17 years. On December 29, 1960, he committed second-degree burglary. He married Jean McArdle in 1963, and together they ran the Bainbridge Island Taxi Co., the only taxi service on the island at the time. Friends described Minnoch as a warm and funny family man. At one point in 1978, he weighed 12 times more than his wife, breaking the record for the largest weight disparity between a married couple. Minnoch and McArdle divorced in 1980, and he later married Shirley Ann Griffin in 1982. He fathered two sons, John and Jason.
Jon Brower Minnoch Weight Loss
By 1978, Minnoch’s obesity had become overwhelming. Under medical advice, he reduced his diet to 600 calories per day, primarily vegetables, and took large doses of a diuretic, which proved ineffective. After being bedridden for three weeks, he agreed to enter the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle in March 1978 due to heart and respiratory failure.
Transporting him to the hospital required removing a window and placing him on a thick plywood sheet, with over a dozen firefighters assisting. Doctors diagnosed him with massive edema, a condition causing extreme fluid retention. Endocrinologist Robert Schwartz estimated Minnoch’s weight at about 1,400 lb (635 kg; 100 stone), stating, “He was by at least 300 pounds the heaviest person ever reported… probably the most unusual thing about [Minnoch’s] case was that he lived.” He also suffered from Pickwickian syndrome, which causes elevated carbon dioxide levels due to insufficient breathing.
Minnoch spent two years in the hospital, on a 1,200-calorie daily diet, and lost 924 lb (419 kg; 66 stone)—the largest human weight loss ever documented at that time. Upon discharge, he weighed 476 lb (216 kg; 34 stone) and hoped to eventually reach 210 lb (95 kg; 15 stone), saying, “I’ve waited 37 years to get this chance at a new life.”
Jon Brower Minnoch Death
Despite his massive weight loss, Minnoch regained much of his weight. By October 1981, he weighed 952 lb (432 kg; 68 stone) and had gained 200 lb (91 kg; 14 stone) in just a week. He was readmitted to the hospital and, after 23 months, passed away on September 4, 1983, at the age of 41. At his death, he weighed 798 lb (362 kg; 57 stone). His death certificate listed cardiac arrest as the immediate cause, with respiratory failure and restrictive lung disease as contributing factors. Minnoch was buried in a plywood casket lined with cloth, which occupied two cemetery plots at Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Eleven men were required to transport his casket.
Jon Brower Minnoch Legacy
Jon Brower Minnoch remains a remarkable figure in medical history due to his record-breaking weight, the challenges he faced with extreme obesity, and his largest documented human weight loss. His case continues to be studied by medical professionals interested in severe obesity, edema, and extreme weight management.
Also Read: World’s First Two-Piece Suit Crafted from Moustache Hair Pays Tribute to Men Lost to Cancer
