Manuel "Meme" Uribe, the Mexican man who once held the Guinness World Record for heaviest person in the world, has died. The 48-year-old passed away on Monday due to unknown reasons at a Monterrey hospital. At his heaviest, Uribe weighed a shocking 1,232 pounds but lost lots of it in the past eight years. His last recorded weight was 867 pounds.
Read more ¿Qué más?: Former fattest man in the world poses naked, wants 112 lbs of extra skin removed
Uribe was reportedly admitted to the hospital on May 2 due to an abnormal heartbeat. The man who was bedridden for many years was unable to walk alone and had to be transported using a crane by emergency workers.
In addition to his heart condition, doctors say he also suffered from liver problems, but they have not issued the official cause of death. Uribe, who became famous in 2006 due to his weight, had been bedridden since 2002 and needed the help of family to bathe and feed himself.
When Uribe decided to lose the weight he chose to do it the healthy way. With the help of doctors and nutritionists and following The Zone Diet, he lost an astonishing 365 pounds. His goal was to reach 265 pounds, but sadly his life was cut short. He made headlines again in 2008 when he married Claudia Solis and was the only time he left his bed.
It's sad that this man who had so much potential passed away so young. It goes to show you that weight problems really do reduce your longevity and it's better to tackle them sooner than later. I wish his family had helped him once they saw he had a weight issue and that he couldn't even get out of bed. My thoughts are with his loved ones at this time, but his story also serves as a reminder that the obesity problem is a serious issue worldwide and needs to be stopped.
Embedded content: http://youtu.be/ld7XeXlRjnY
Image via Fernanda Familiar/Twitter
