Blair River, the 575-pound spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill, an Arizona restaurant that serves shamelessly high-calorie burgers and fries, died Tuesday at the age of 29, following a bout of the flu.
At 6 feet 8 inches tall, River garnered celebrity as the grill’s “Gentle Giant” when he became the face and advertising star of the medically themed restaurant — famous for its triple-bypass burgers, flatliner lard fries and server “nurses” donning uniforms fit for adult films.
River came down with the flu last week, and after four days in the hospital, he succumbed to pneumonia, says Jon Basso, owner of the grill and close friend of River.