575-pound Heart Attack Grill spokesman dies 29 - USA Today

By Weldon B. Johnson, The Arizona Republic

Blair River was a good guy with a big heart.

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  By Luci Scott, AP

  Blair River, a book-speaker 575 of the Heart Attack Grill in Chandler, Ariz., died Tuesday. He was 29 years

By Luci Scott, AP

Blair River, a book-speaker 575 of the Heart Attack Grill in Chandler, Ariz., died Tuesday. He was 29 years

River, who stood 6-feet-8 and weighed about 575 pounds, won a measure of fame last year as President of the Heart Attack Grill, a Chandler, Ariz., restaurant that specializes in hamburgers and French fries thick. He died Tuesday at age 29.

The cause of death is still unknown, but friends believe it was the result of its customers pneumonia after a battle with the flu.

Heart Attack Grill is a restaurant shamelessly unhealthy - the giant menu includes hamburgers, milkshakes and fries cooked in lard French -. "Glorification of obesity" and with such a great man as he was part of his tongue in his cheek, but who knew River said he was more than over-the-life of the cartoon, he depicts the promotion of the restaurant.

Restaurant founder Jon Basso said he learned of the river to understand the client, and as a speaker grill.

"The cynics may think (the death of River) is funny," said Basso. "But the people who cry to him the eyes. There are a lot of mourning going on here. You could not find a better person. Did "

River was a state wrestling champion heavyweight in 1999 as a Senior High School in Payson, and he went to football at Mesa Community College to play.

He lived in Mesa, Arizona, and worked as a financial advisor at the University of Phoenix.

"It was a nice guy, very energetic and full of life," said Alex Arreola, a waitress at the grill. "He always spoke of his daughter and he always seemed to know how to say the right thing."

Basso said the river "creative genius" was behind the actions and was always coming up with new ideas for commercials for the restaurant. They also intend to take a place called "Heart Attack Grill. The musical"

"Even if he gave her thin, we had the task," said Basso. "We would just sit on a fat suit. He has the personality."

Basso said they would stop showing certain ads with the river on the video screens in the restaurant because they have some staff too emotional.

"We're like a family here, and it was part of our family," said Arreola. "We will miss him. It will certainly be missed."

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