Top 10 Heaviest People Who Ever Lived

Minnoch's story is sad but fascinating. He suffered from obesity all his life, but gigantic fluid retention (edema) made things spiral completely out of control. When he ended up in hospital with heart failure, doctors discovered that the excess fluid in his body alone weighed more than 400 kilos. After a strict hospital diet he dropped to 216 kilos, the largest weight loss ever recorded, but sadly he later regained weight and died at the age of 41.

In 2013, the then king of Saudi Arabia personally intervened. Khalid weighed 610 kilos at the time and hadn't left his bedroom for years. To get him to the hospital, the fire department had to demolish part of his house and hoist him out with a forklift.

The good news: thanks to medical supervision and surgery, he has lost hundreds of kilos and can walk again.

Manuel “Meme” Uribe from Mexico became a worldwide celebrity. He was known for his optimism, despite living in bed. His wedding in 2008 made world news; he was driven to the ceremony on a truck, bed and all. Although he lost a lot of weight, he eventually died of liver failure and heart problems, but he did die a married man.

After Uribe's death, his compatriot Juan Pedro Franco took over the unwanted title. He was trapped in his room in Mexico for years. His situation was life-threatening due to extreme diabetes and high blood pressure. Fortunately he managed to turn the tide: after several stomach surgeries he lost more than half his weight and can walk again with a cane.

Carol Yager is often named as the heaviest woman ever, although not all claims about her weight (some mention 727 kg) have been officially confirmed. What is certain is that she was admitted to hospital weighing 544 kilos. She became known through an appearance on the Jerry Springer Show, where she talked about her struggle. Sadly, she died of kidney failure shortly afterwards.

Walter made headlines in 1987 when he got stuck in the doorway of his bedroom. The fire department had to free him. This incident led him to seek help from comedian and diet guru Dick Gregory. He lost a lot of weight on a liquid diet, but the temptation of food was too great. He eventually died in his bedroom, after which a hole had to be cut in the wall to remove his body.

Hughes lived in a time (the 1950s) when little medical knowledge about obesity existed. He had a genetic disorder that stopped his brain from getting the signal that he was full. Tragically, he was exhibited at fairs as a curiosity to earn money. He was buried in a coffin the size of a piano.

Patrick was a restaurant manager and ended up in a downward spiral. He became known as the “Half Ton Man” in a documentary. To take him to the hospital in Sioux Falls, an ambulance had to be modified because he didn't fit on a normal stretcher. After stomach surgery he lost an enormous amount of weight, but the battle against the kilos lasted his whole life.

Michael Hebranko's life was a yo-yo effect taken to the extreme. In the 1990s, with the help of fitness guru Richard Simmons, he went from 411 kilos to 90 kilos. He toured America as an inspiring example. Sadly, he fell back into old habits and regained all the weight (and more), showing how complex and mental this disease is.

Her story is bizarre and made world news as the “Half-Ton Killer”. She was accused of killing her nephew by allegedly rolling onto him. It later turned out to be a lie to protect her sister (the real culprit); Mayra physically couldn't even move enough to commit the crime. After her acquittal she decided to turn her life around: she lost hundreds of kilos and today looks unrecognizably healthy.