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 | Seventh heaviest person in medical history |
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).
Biography[edit]
Early Life[edit]
Hudson was born in 1945 in Brooklyn, New York. His father left the family when he was a baby. He was a compulsive eater growing up, and he weighed 125 pounds (57 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, collect recyclables for change to buy snacks, and routinely eat late at night. He dropped out of school in the 7th grade after breaking his leg, eventually earning his high school diploma via a tutor. Around age 15, weighing 350 pounds (160 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 until her death in 1984, his brother George, his sister Barbara, and her children. He never went outside his home, both due to strong agoraphobia and the inconvenience 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] In September 1987, he fell and became stuck in the doorway to his bedroom. His family were unable to remove him, and the Hempstead Fire Department worked for four hours to cut the doorframe and extricate him.[3] Afterwards, Hudson 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 man 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 loss 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 in 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 two boxes of sausages, 1 pound (0.45 kg) of bacon, one dozen eggs, and a loaf of bread for breakfast; four Big Macs, four double cheeseburgers, and eight large portions of French fries for lunch; and three large ham steaks or two chickens, four baked potatoes, four sweet potatoes, four heads of broccoli, and most of a 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 strict 1,200 calorie vegetarian diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, Gregory's commercial powdered diet mix, orange juice, 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 regained much of the weight he lost, and weighed 1,025 pounds (465 kg). Emergency rescuers from the Hempstead Fire Department cut a 4-by-6-foot (1.2 by 1.8 m) hole in the bedroom wall to remove his body from the premises.[5][2]
Hudson's funeral was held on January 2, 1992, which 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 carry.[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. 1992-01-20. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
- ^ a b c d e "Despite setback, former heaviest man vows to keep losing pounds". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
- ^ 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 Magazine. Vol. 28, no. 17. p. 60. Archived from the original on February 24, 2011. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
- ^ "Obituaries: Walter Hudson, 46; Called Heaviest Man". The New York Times. 1991-12-26. Retrieved 2012-01-05.