John Candy Day Declared in Toronto to Honor Late Comedian

Toronto Mayor John Tory has declared October 31st as John Candy Day. The iconic comedian was born October 31st, 1950 and this year would have been his 70th birthday. Candy’s roots are heavily connected to Toronto and Canada. He got his start in Toronto’s Second City sketch troupe and then was a cast member of the Toronto-based television series SCTV, which went on to launch the careers of a number of other notable comedians and actors, including Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, and Catherine O’Hara, just to name a few.

John Candy’s career lasted over two decades and Toronto Mayor John Tory thinks that now is the perfect time to honor him. “John Candy is a Canadian treasure who brought great joy to so many through his humor, acting and contributions to the entertainment industry and beyond,” said Tory in a statement. “I had a chance to get to know him when he was an Argo owner. He was a decent humble man in the fashion of many famous Canadians and it is my privilege to honor his humor, his legacy and the pride he brought to our city on what would have been his 70th birthday.” Candy passed away in 1994 from what has been suspected to be a heart attack.

John Candy’s children, Chris and Jen both commented on Toronto’s new honor to their father. “It’s really special, and am so happy for him especially on his birthday to receive such a high honor! Jonny Toronto has his day!” said Chris. Jen states, “It’s is such an honor for him! So excited to celebrate this special day! Halloween and his birthday all wrapped up in one amazing John Candy Day. Simply perfect.” Canadian residents will be able to celebrate Halloween and John Candy all in one day from here on out.

Along with his work on the small screen, John Candy had a very successful career on the big screen. Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings (whose bobsled was just in the news, Home Alone, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle Buck are just a few of the movies that Candy starred in and elevated over the course of his career, which was sadly cut short. Despite his success, Candy never really felt like he had made it and struggled with depression.

In addition to Toronto’s John Candy Day, the actor/comedian has also been honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998 and In May 2006, Candy became one of the first four entertainers ever honored by Canada Post by being featured on a postage stamp. A lot of people won’t be able to go out for Halloween this year due to the public health crisis, so it might be a good excuse to have a John Candy marathon in his honor, for what would have been his 70th birthday. You can check out John Tory’s official Twitter announcement of John Candy Day above.