Remarkable Stories Of The Heaviest Recorded People In History

The world’s heaviest individuals are often judged harshly, with assumptions made about how they reached such extreme weight. Yet the deeper causes behind their conditions are rarely explored.

Their journeys are frequently reduced to shock value, while their resilience and achievements are overshadowed. Many faced multiple medical challenges, made sincere efforts to lose weight, and even tried to leave a lasting impact despite limited mobility.

This list shines a light on seven individuals who not only held weight records but also left powerful stories of perseverance and transformation.

The Guinness Book of World Records officially named American Jon Brower Minnoch the heaviest person in history in March 1978. Despite his challenges, Minnoch displayed remarkable resilience throughout his life.

Born on September 29, 1941, in Bainbridge Island, Washington, he struggled with obesity from childhood, weighing 294 lb (133 kg) by age 12.

Minnoch’s weight escalated due to underlying medical issues, creating serious health complications from an early age. His condition steadily worsened, exacerbating his medical problems.

He was 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) tall and weighed 392 lb (178 kg) in 1963, 700 lb (317 kg) in 1966, and 975 lb (442 kg) by 1976. By 1978, his weight had soared to levels that severely affected his heart, lungs, and circulation, threatening his life.

Minnoch made several attempts to lose weight, including extreme dieting, but often experienced setbacks. In March 1978, he was admitted to University Hospital in Seattle, where endocrinologist Dr. Robert Schwartz estimated his weight at over 1,400 lb (635 kg).

He then followed a 1,200-calorie-per-day diet for nearly two years, reducing his weight to 476 lb (216 kg) before discharge. Though he maintained this progress for some time, he was readmitted in October 1981 after gaining 197 lb (89 kg).

Jon Brower Minnoch died of cardiac arrest on September 10, 1983, just weeks before his 42nd birthday, weighing over 798 lb (362 kg).

While his condition brought immense difficulty, Minnoch’s case allowed medical professionals to study the impact of Class III obesity. His struggles were influenced by genetics, environment, and physiology, and his story received widespread media attention, helping reshape conversations about obesity treatment and compassion.

Pauline Potter was recognized by the Guinness World Records in 2012 as the world’s heaviest living woman, weighing 643 lb (291.6 kg). She initially aimed to reach 700 lb (318 kg) after her then-husband Alex, whom she met online in 2002, admitted he preferred larger women.

Motivated by his preferences, she began intentionally gaining weight. However, she eventually realized the toll it was taking on her health. The two married in Las Vegas on Valentine’s Day 2003, but later divorced.

At her peak weight, Potter couldn’t stand unassisted. Rather than accept defeat, she decided to regain control of her life and lose weight.

She appeared on Season 3 of TLC’s My 600-lb Life and began a committed weight loss journey under the care of Dr. Younan Nowzaradan. With his guidance, she lost over 500 lb (222.3 kg), a transformation he celebrated on Instagram.

Potter’s determination inspired many others dealing with similar struggles, and Dr. Nowzaradan praised her for her "power of commitment" (via The Mirror UK).

Mexican native Manuel Uribe was recognized by the Guinness World Records in January 2006 as the world’s heaviest man, weighing 1,235 lb (560 kg). He had been bedridden since 2002 and relied on his mother and friends for daily care.

Uribe received international attention after appearing in the 2007 documentary The World’s Heaviest Man. Following medical intervention, he reportedly reduced his weight to 840 lb (381 kg). However, he later relapsed, weighing 917 lb (416 kg) in 2009 and 980 lb (444.6 kg) by March 2012.

He was married twice, and his 2008 wedding to Claudia Solis was featured in the documentary The World’s Heaviest Man Gets Married. This marked one of the few times he was able to leave his home. Uribe died on May 26, 2014, at age 48 due to liver failure (via The Guardian).

In a 2007 interview with ABC News, he stated that, despite being bedridden, he kept himself occupied by working as a technician repairing typewriters, calculators, and computers.

Carol Ann Yager, born on January 26, 1960, was one of the heaviest women ever recorded. In January 1993, she was admitted to Hurley Medical Center, weighing 1,189 lb (539.4 kg). At the time, over a dozen firemen were needed to help transport her, as she had not walked in nine months.

While hospitalized, Yager worked tirelessly to lose 500 lb. Before her admission, she relied entirely on nurses and her 14-year-old daughter for basic needs. In an interview with the Detroit News, she stated, "They pay for people who abuse alcohol. They pay for people who are addicted to drugs. But with obese people, there is an irrational bias."

She was placed on a 1,200-calorie diet and prescribed diuretics to reduce fluid retention. In early June of that year, she managed to take eight steps. Yager passed away on July 18, 1994, due to kidney failure.

She faced significant barriers in receiving proper care, especially since health insurance often excludes coverage for obesity-related treatments (via LA Times).

Khalid bin Mohsen Shaari of Saudi Arabia once weighed over 1,345 lb (610 kg), earning the label of the fattest person in the world.

He remained bedridden for three years due to the severity of his condition and eventually made a public plea for help. In 2013, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia personally stepped in to support his recovery.

Shaari underwent a gastric bypass surgery performed by a team of 30 medical professionals. The operation, which required a forklift, was followed by a strict dietary program.

Within six months, he lost more than half of his body weight and eventually reached 140 lb (63.5 kg). In 2018, he underwent additional procedures to remove excess skin. His upbeat attitude during treatment earned him the nickname "The Smiling Man" from hospital staff (via LADBible).

Shaari’s transformation received wide media coverage and helped spark broader conversations about treatment options and awareness for people living with severe obesity.

Mayra Rosales, from Texas and known as the half-tonne killer, has an incredibly inspiring story. In 2008, weighing 1,036 lb (470 kg), she told police she crushed her two-year-old nephew, Eliseo, to death.

She was acquitted at her trial in 2011 after it was discovered that the child died of head injuries, which didn’t add up with Rosales’s story of the incident. This led to her confessing that she falsely admitted to the crime to cover for her sister, Jamie, because she thought she had a better chance at life than she did.

“I was dying. I don’t know if you have seen pictures before, but you could see it in my face. I had given up on life. I was alive but not living a life,” Rosales told ABC 13 at the time (via National Post). Her sister had been abusive toward Eliseo and would often yell at and kick him.

In a moment of frustration, she struck the child on the head with a hairbrush, which led to his death. The sister eventually confessed and is serving 15 years in prison.

After being acquitted, Mayra Rosales was determined to gain control of her life and lose weight. She underwent 11 surgeries, including a lap-band procedure and numerous skin-removal surgeries combined with an intense diet that helped her lose 798 lb (362 kg).

Her transformation was covered in the 2013 TLC documentary, Half Ton Killer: Transformed. The weight loss also allowed her to adopt and care for her sister’s daughters and surviving son (per Stuff).

Robert Earl Hughes was crowned the heaviest human alive in 1955, particularly for having the largest chest measurement ever recorded at a whopping 124 inches (315 cm). Despite struggling with morbid obesity, his story is renowned for his remarkably positive outlook on life.

Born in 1926 in Monticello, Missouri, at an above-average weight of 11 lb 4 oz, Hughes contracted whooping cough at just five months old. Doctors revealed that the illness had damaged his thyroid gland, which triggered an uncontrollable spike in his weight throughout his life.

Eventually, the whole family moved to Fishhook, Illinois, and by age ten, Robert Earl Hughes weighed 380 lb (172 kg). Because of his weight, he had to drop out of school after seventh grade, but that didn’t stop him from learning as he immersed himself in reading.

After his mother passed away, Hughes sold photos of himself at local fairs and carnivals, proudly sharing his story with the public. At 27, he set out on the road, touring for several years to fulfil his dream of traveling. By this point, Robert weighed nearly 900 lb (408 kg).

During this tour in July 1958, Hughes contracted measles and developed uremia, passing away shortly after at just 32 years old, weighing 1,067 lb (484 kg). His coffin needed to be lowered into the ground using a crane, and his funeral was flooded with over 2000 mourners, inspired by the way he faced life head-on despite the odds stacked against him (via Ripley’s).