The cause was a heart attack, said Anna Perez, a spokeswoman for Creative Artists Agency, which represented him.
Stephanie Pond Smith, a spokeswoman for Carolco Pictures in Los Angeles, said that Mr. Candy died in his sleep at his residence near Durango, Mexico, during the filming of "Wagons East," a Western comedy in which he was starring with Richard Lewis. Production was suspended and it was unclear whether the film could be completed. Worked in Children's Theater
John Franklin Candy was born in Toronto on Oct. 31, 1950. After taking drama courses at Centennial Community College there, he worked at a variety of jobs before landing his first professional acting work as a member of a children's-theater group. Eventually he won roles in television commercials and low-budget Canadian feature films.
He was featured in the show when it moved to network television as "SCTV Network" in 1981. Mr. Candy won Emmys in 1981 and 1982 for his comedy writing on the series.
"My big break came in 1972 when I got involved in the 'Second City' in Toronto," Mr. Candy said in an interview. "Then I was traded to Chicago, and I started my 'Second City' training there." Played a Polka Musician
Mr. Candy's most memorable character for SCTV was that of Yosh Shmenge, a clarinet player in a polka band, and he kept returning to the role. In 1985, Mr. Candy co-starred in a comic pseudo-documentary for HBO, "The Shmenges: The Last Polka," and in 1990, in the comic blockbuster "Home Alone," Mr. Candy played the leader of a polka band.
His major film breakthrough was in the 1984 hit "Splash," which also made the careers of Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah and the film's director, Ron Howard. Mr. Candy played the role of the hero's ne'er-do-well brother, Freddie, and Janet Maslin wrote in The New York Times that the film "would not be nearly so successful without the bulldozing presence of John Candy."
"The mere sight of the tubby Mr. Candy is funny enough," Ms. Maslin wrote, "but the spectacle of him playing racquetball really is something to see."
A devoted sports fan, Mr. Candy was a co-owner of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. In addition, with the actors Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi, he was part owner of House of Blues, a chain of blues bars and restaurants. Girth Added to His Appeal
The 6-foot-3-inch Mr. Candy, who weighed more than 275 pounds at times, often complained to interviewers about his seemingly endless struggles with diets. Nevertheless, his girth was a key to his appeal on film.
Mr. Candy was frequently cast as a sympathetic, stumbling, ordinary guy, and often played the slob. Among his other films were "Stripes" (1981), "Summer Rental" (1985), "Little Shop of Horrors" (1986), "Spaceballs" (1987), "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" (1987), "The Great Outdoors" (1988), "Speed Zone" (1989), "Who's Harry Crumb?" (1989), "The Rescuers Down Under" (1990), "Delirious" (1991), "Only the Lonely" (1991), "Career Opportunities" (1991), "Nothing but Trouble" (1991) and "Once Upon a Crime" (1992).
Although many of his films were smash hits at the box office, critics took him to task in recent years for his choice of films, chiding him for some lackluster roles and feeble scripts. Mr. Candy won favorable notices, however, for his performance as the down-at-the-heels coach Irv Blitzer in the 1993 box-office hit "Cool Runnings," about a Jamaican bobsled team. Mr. Candy recently completed the Fox Television movie comedy "Hostage for a Day," his directorial debut.
He is survived by his wife, Rosemary; a daughter, Jennifer, and a son, Christopher, all of Los Angeles.
