Former world's heaviest man dies aged 48 after years confined to specially-made bed

A Mexican man once listed as the world's heaviest human being died Monday at the age of 48.

Manuel Uribe had slimmed down to about 867 pounds, well below his then-record peak weight of 1,230 pounds, which was certified in 2006 as a Guinness World Record.

Uribe's death was confirmed by an official of the health department of Nuevo Leon state, where the city of Monterrey is located.

Uribe had been confined to his bed in Monterrey for years, unable to walk on his own.

The official, who was not authorized to be quoted by name, said Uribe had been taken to the hospital on May 2 because of an abnormal heartbeat.

He had to be taken to the hospital with a crane by emergency and civil defense workers.

Doctors have not yet certified the cause of death. In addition to the cardiac condition, Uribe was also believed to have suffered from liver problems.

Body: Members of the Civil Protection holding the body of the late Manuel Uribe

Uribe married Claudia Solis in 2008, and the wedding was one of the few times he left his home in recent years.

After years of diet, exercise and medical care, Uribe, had lost more than 550 pounds by the ceremony.

He had hoped to walk down the aisle, but despite his dramatic weight loss, he was transported to the ceremony on a flatbed truck and remained in his custom-made bed, according to The Associated Press.

Uribe shed tears during the ceremony and embraced his then-38-year-old bride for a 'first dance' but didn't indulge in wedding cake.

'He didn't break his diet,' Uribe's mother said.

'I have a wife and will form a new family and live a happy life,' Uribe told reporters before the ceremony for 400 guests.

He had been married prior to Solis, when he weighed 280 pounds, Uribe was married. 

Bride: Claudia Solis arrives at the dance hall to marry Uribe in Monterrey, Mexico, Sunday, October 26, 2008

 

Groom: Uribe, then-43, gives a thump up while being driven in a forklift to his wedding

But as he grew more obese, he said the relationship grew increasingly difficult.

'She asked me for a divorce,' he said. 'I was very depressed.'

Uribe was a chubby kid, weighing more than 250 pounds as an adolescent. Starting in 1992, he said, his weight began ballooning further.

In 2007, Uribe told ABC News: 'I had an obesity problem for many years, a very significant one. I was gaining and gaining weight. I was on every diet you can imagine.'

'I used to eat normal, just like all Mexicans do... beans, rice, flour tortilla, corn tortilla, French fries, hamburgers, subs and pizzas, whatever regular people eat. I worked as a technician, repairing typewriters, electronic calculators and computers. So I worked on a chair. It was a sedentary life,' he said.

But his weight got out of hand. Since the summer of 2002, Uribe had been bedridden, relying on his mother and friends to feed and clean him.

-dailymail