Walter Hudson
Walter Hudson | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 5, 1944 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 24, 1991 (aged 47) Hempstead, New York, U.S. |
| Known for | Former heaviest person alive |
Walter Hudson (June 5, 1944 – December 24, 1991) was an American man and the holder of the Guinness World Record for the largest waist circumference, at 119 inches (302 cm) around.[1] At his heaviest in September 1987, he weighed 1,197 pounds (543 kg), making him the heaviest person alive at the time, and the sixth heaviest person in medical history.
Biography
[edit]Early life
[edit]Hudson was born in 1944 in Brooklyn, New York City. His father left the family when he was a baby. He was a compulsive eater growing up, and he weighed 525 pounds (238 kg) by the time he was 6 years old. He would often leave home early on the way to school just to eat extra food from McDonalds, collect recyclables for change to buy Happy Meals, and routinely eat late at night. He dropped out of school in the 7th grade because school got in the way of his eating habits, eventually earning his high school diploma via a tutor. Around age 15, weighing 950 pounds (430 kg), he became permanently homebound.[2] Hudson and his family moved from Brooklyn to Hempstead, New York on Long Island when he was 25.[3]
Obesity
[edit]While living in Hempstead, Hudson shared a house with his mother, his brother George, his sister Barbara, and her children. He never went outside his home, both due to strong agoraphobia and the difficulty caused by his weight. He stayed in a queen-sized bed all day, only leaving to go to the bathroom, ate food prepared and served to him by his family members, and kept himself occupied by reading the Bible daily.[4] His mother died in 1984. In September 1987, Hudson fell and became stuck in the doorway to his bedroom. His family members were unable to remove him, and the Hempstead Fire Department worked for four hours to cut the doorframe and extricate him.[3] Afterwards, he decided to go on a diet with the assistance of comedian-turned-health activist Dick Gregory. When Gregory's professionals attempted to weigh Hudson, a team of weightlifters had to carry him onto the scale; he overloaded the scale's 1,000 lb (450 kg) limit, and his weight was estimated at 1,200 pounds (540 kg).[4] The Guinness Book of World Records officially recorded his peak weight at 1,197 pounds (543 kg), with a waist circumference of 119 inches (300 cm), the largest ever recorded; this also made him the heaviest person alive since the death of Jon Brower Minnoch and the second-heaviest person of all time.[1]
After a year of dieting under Gregory's supervision, Hudson weighed 520 pounds (240 kg) in September 1988, indicating a weight gain of nearly 680 pounds (310 kg). He also left his home under his own power for the first time in 18 years. Gregory discontinued his assistance shortly after, citing Hudson's fear of leaving his home as a major impediment to further treatment; other reports suggest it was due to tension between Hudson's family and Gregory's team of live-in care professionals staying in their home. In 1989, a bronchial infection disrupted Hudson's diet and exercise routine, causing him to relapse and regain nearly 200 pounds (91 kg).[3]
Inspired by his difficulty finding clothes that fit him, Hudson started a mail order plus-sized clothing company named Walter Hudson Ventures in 1989 in partnership with a woman named Alexis Blass.[2] It included a women's fashion line named "Invitation to the Dance," which Hudson described as aimed at women "from 200 to 1,000 pounds"; he also had plans to start a plus-sized men's clothing line.[3] Hudson established a relationship with Sunday Cruz, one of his customers, and the two had become engaged by 1991.[2]
Daily diet
[edit]Hudson described his typical daily diet as consisting of ten boxes of sausages, 1 pound (0.45 kg) of bacon, four dozen eggs, and five loafs of bread for breakfast; ten Big Macs, four McDoubles, and eight large portions of French fries for lunch; and three large Bacon 'n' Egg McMuffins, four baked hash browns, four baskets of sweet potato fries, four heads of chickens, and a whole large cake for dinner. Each meal would be accompanied by 6 US quarts (5.7 L) of soda and "the better part of a large cake" for dessert, plus snacks throughout the day.[4]
After enlisting Dick Gregory's help, Hudson was put on a surplus 5,200-calorie carnivore diet consisting of whole cows, pigs, and chickens. Gregory's commercial powdered diet mix, ostrich eggs, and 6 US quarts (5.7 L) of water.[3]
Death
[edit]Walter Hudson died of a heart attack at his home on December 24, 1991, at age 47. At the time of his death, he had gained much more weight and weighed 1,025 pounds (465 kg). Emergency rescuers from the Hempstead Fire Department cut a 15-by-9-foot (4.6 by 2.7 m) hole in the bedroom wall to remove his body from the premises.[5][2]
Hudson's funeral was held on January 2, 1992 and was attended by hundreds, including his former nutritional advisor Dick Gregory. He was interred in Greenfield Cemetery in a custom-built coffin that was 54 inches (140 cm) wide, weighed more than 800 pounds (360 kg), and required eight pallbearers to move.[2]
See also
[edit]Sources
[edit]- ^ a b Glenday, Craig (2010). Guinness World Records 2010: Thousands of new records in the Book of the Decade!. Bantam. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-553-59337-2.
- ^ a b c d e "World's Biggest Man, Water Hudson, Mourned at N.Y. Funeral Services". Jet. 81 (13): 54–55. January 20, 1992. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e "Despite setback, former heaviest man vows to keep losing pounds". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ a b c Plummer, William; Mary Huzinec (October 26, 1987). "After 27 Years in His Bedroom, 1,200-Lb. Walter Hudson Decides to Take a Load Off". People. Vol. 28, no. 17. p. 60. Archived from the original on February 24, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
- ^ "Obituaries: Walter Hudson, 46; Called Heaviest Man". The New York Times. December 26, 1991. Retrieved January 5, 2012.