On the exact day a five-year-old boy was meant to blow out his birthday candles, his father died of a sudden heart attack. That boy grew up to be John Candy, the man who brought more comfort to audiences than almost anyone, all while secretly carrying a genetic time bomb he may never have fully understood.

This deep dive pulls from biographical accounts to tell the story-driven life of a working-class Toronto kid whose pro-sports dreams were crushed, who pivoted to conquer Hollywood, and who eventually bought his favorite football team. It dissects how a person channels profound grief into a relentless work ethic and the true physical weight of that stardom.

• How losing his father on his fifth birthday tethered joy to grief and forged his comedy into an emotional radar system
• The knee injury that ended his football dreams  ...