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It’s been three decades since the beloved character actor Juan Candy He died of a heart attack at the age of 43.
On March 4, Candy’s two children shared touching messages to honor their late father on the anniversary of his death.
“30 years ago today… it feels like a lifetime with you and without you. I will miss you and love you forever,” Jennifer Candy-Sullivan, 44, captioned her Instagram.
“He was the best dad,” Jennifer says. TODAY.com. “He said, ‘Don’t worry about what people think of you. Just be your authentic self.'”
“The other thing about my father is that he was the best family man,” he continues. “That’s why he didn’t want to do ‘Saturday Night Live.’ He knew that lifestyle wasn’t going to be healthy for him. He was smart that way.”
Jennifer named her 5-year-old son, Finley John William, after his grandfather.
“He definitely looks like a Candy. He sure has my dad’s hair,” Jennifer says, noting that the boy also looks like his paternal grandfather.
Anniversaries of loss can be difficult, but Jennifer says she “feels strong” today.
“My childhood best friend passed away last month. We grew up together, she knew my dad. And her death made me miss my dad,” Jennifer says.
Jennifer’s brother Christopher, 39, also shared a tribute to his father on Instagram on March 4. In the photo, Candy shows off her signature Hawaiian print.
“All my love to my dad today,” Chris, 39, wrote.
Candy’s two children followed him into the entertainment business. Chris and Jennifer are writers and actors.
Candy was best known for his roles in ’80s comedies, including “Uncle Buck” and “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.” He was married to his wife, the ceramist and abstract painter, Rosemary Margaret Hobor, for 15 years.
“He was an everyday kind of person, a great father and very lovable,” Jennifer said. Entertainment tonightt in 2015. “Very similar to the characters I had in the movie.”
Candy died in Mexico while filming the 1994 film “Wagon’s East.”
“I was 9 years old. It was Friday,” Chris said during a conversation with the Hollywood Reportr in 2016. “I remember talking to him the night before he passed away and he said, ‘I love you and goodnight.’ And I will always remember it.”
Jennifer, who was 14 when Candy died, also remembered her last call with her father.
“So I was talking to him on the phone and I hate this, but he was a little distant because he was studying,” she told the publication. “So I was like, ‘Yeah, okay, I love you.’ I will talk to you later. Having a great night.’ Then I hang up and go back to studying.”
According to Jennifer and Chris, heart disease runs in families.
“He always worked on his weight and his health,” Chris said while speaking with the Hollywood Reporter. “And luckily, he helped us figure it out for ourselves.”
Jennifer and Chris don’t mind when people point out the resemblance between them and their father; They see it too.
“Both my brother and I take after my father at different times,” Jennifer explained to the Hollywood Reporter. “If you look at him when he was younger, that’s Chris. And my dad is a little older, he is my face. For me, it was being in touch with my feminine side when people would say, ‘You look like your dad,’ and I’d say, ‘Thank you…?’ And then they said: ‘But you’re so much prettier than your dad!’ “Sometimes my laugh is exactly like my dad’s.”
This article was originally published in TODAY.com