from measles. He developed uremia. He died on July 10, 1958 at the age of 32. He was buried in a small church cemetery in Benville, Illinois, in Brown County near his hometown, Fishhook. About 2,000 people attended the funeral. He is erroneously said to have been buried in a piano case. This error stemmed from a sentence that appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records: "He was buried in a coffin the size of a piano case." His headstone notes that he was the world's heaviest man at a confirmed . See also List of the heaviest people References Further reading 1926 births 1958 deaths American entertainers Burials in Illinois People from Pike County, Illinois Sideshow performers Obesity in the United States Deaths from kidney disease