Hogan: Celebrating John Candy

It’s been 31 years since comedic icon John Candy died, a heart attack claiming the lovable actor while on a movie set in Mexico. He was only 43 years old, his death coming shortly after learning majority owner Bruce McNall was going to sell Candy’s beloved Toronto Argonauts.

To those who remember Candy’s three-year tenure as the most passionate fan of a high-profile ownership triumvirate which included Wayne Gretzky and McNall, he remains one of the most endearing Argo figures in the last half century.

Why? Because he cared so damn much.

Though he was anything but, when it came to the Argos, Candy was an everyman, a fan who found himself fortunate enough in life to be able to play out his childhood fantasy of being an Argo, albeit as an owner, not the offensive lineman he dreamed of becoming during his playing days at Neil McNeil High School in Scarborough.

He will make you laugh. He will make you cry. Just like he always did.
Watch the John Candy: I Like Me official trailer, coming October 10. pic.twitter.com/Ix2EoRcvST

— Prime Video (@PrimeVideo) September 4, 2025

The affable big man is back in the spotlight due to a new documentary on his life. “I Like Me” is produced by Ryan Reynolds and directed by Colin Hanks, a pair of Candy fans who wanted to pay homage to their hero.

The documentary was the first film shown at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, drawing rave reviews. Among those who appeared on the red carpet for the debut was Argo general manager Michael Clemons, who was a star player for the team during Candy’s tenure.

“One of the things I loved, and there were many, he would give you his undivided attention,” Clemons told Argonauts.ca. “It didn’t matter if Wayne Gretzky was on one side of him and a movie star on the other side, he gave you his undivided attention and he wouldn’t be the one to end the conversation.”

That’s a trait Clemons shares, though he credits his mother for that aspect of his personality. He concedes to learning by watching Candy, and that the young player became a better person because of their relationship.

Clemons got emotional at one part of the conversation, his eyes welled up and he needed a second before continuing to talk about his friend. He mentioned his former boss had, not surprisingly, a weak spot for one specific positional group.

“The confidence, the backing, the belief he had in offensive linemen, the position that he played. He very notably said ‘I wanted to be you; this is what I wanted to do.’ He was just one of the kindest people on the planet.”

As well as the players who got to know Candy, one current Argo staff member became the co-owner’s trusted confidant.

Equipment manager Danny Webb is in his 41^st season in Double Blue. He became close to Candy because the co-owner constantly called Webb looking for injury updates, questions about how the team was practicing, the kind of things a hands-off owner would never consider doing, but that wasn’t Candy. He loved the team and wanted to be as close to the day-to-day operation as he could while maintaining an incredibly busy life in Los Angeles.

“John was a regular guy that was friends with everybody,” is how Webb described his late friend. “I fondly remember the times during pre-game warmup when it would be just John and I in the locker room. The guys were out for warmup, but I’d be fixing stuff, ready for when they’d come back in right before the game. John would be prancing (with nerves).

“He generally cared about everyone, players, coaches, GMs, equipment staff, training staff. He sent us turkeys at Christmas time.”

Webb has shared the next story in the past with this typist but has never shared it publicly. He felt a little more at ease after Candy’s son Christopher talked about some of his father’s excesses for the documentary.

“If you go a whole lifetime eating your feelings, drinking your feelings, smoking your nerves,” said his son to the camera, “it shows up.”

Candy worked hard and played hard. His weight ballooned to almost 400 pounds at times, and he certainly enjoyed a cigarette and an adult beverage. One of Webb’s favourite stories revolves around one specific road trip where he was invited out with the actor, though it was not the only time.

“It was probably about ten o’clock, the night before a game in Winnipeg,” Webb recalled. “The phone rings and it’s John. He says, ‘Five minutes, lobby, be there.’ When John says that you’ve got to do it. I rallied my roommate, my assistant Steve McCoy, and we went to the lobby. There was nobody around, just two stretch limos in front of the hotel.

“The window rolls down and John says, ‘Get in.’ It was just John and his assistant, Bob Crane Jr. (the son of the Hogan’s Heroes actor). A couple of staff members joined us, and we went to the Palomino Club. We went through the back entrance and through the kitchen. The staff had sectioned off the back corner of the bar for us. They asked everybody what they wanted to drink. If you were drinking a beer, they brought you a six pack. If you were drinking a rye and coke they brought you a bottle of rye, a draught beer pitcher full of ice, and a pitcher of coke.

“When the band that was playing took a break, John got up and did some comedy shtick and was signing autographs and chatting about which movies they liked.”

That already sounds like a great evening out, but the night was just beginning.

“We went to a little Polish deli,” Webb continued. “It was probably about one o’clock and John said, ‘You’ve got to try these sliders!’ John was hungry and he put on a show. We then went back to the hotel and John said, ‘We’re not done yet.”

There’s more?

“At the hotel, at the corner of Portage and Main, there’s a little room called The Velvet Room. It turns out John had been in contact with one of the local residents and the hotel, and they opened the room, because it was after hours. Who was there? Burton Cummings.”

A night that started with Webb going to bed early ended up as a full-on night of drinking and food with a Canadian comedy legend and it was about to continue with Canadian rock royalty.

“What a great show that was,” said a now broadly smiling Webb, recalling an unforgettable evening/morning. “There were about seven of us and we had consumed a few adult beverages, and we met Burton, the two of them went way back. Burton gets up on the piano and says, ‘Give me some requests.’ What a night, an intimate, private concert for the six of us, including John. It’s a night I’ll never remember, er, never forget.”

How’s that for a boss?

In conjunction with the documentary, which will be aired on Prime Video beginning October 10, Candy will be remembered during Saturday’s game against Edmonton, a 3:00 kickoff at BMO Field. Not only will there be in-game tributes, but the first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive a commemorative tee-shirt, featuring a caricature of a well-known photo with Candy holding the Grey Cup, with receiver Raghib “Rocket” Ismail jumping on the co-owner’s back.

It’s a fantastic way to remember a special time in Argo history.

 

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