Heart Attack Grill’s Unofficial Spokesman Dies of Heart Attack

John Alleman, 52, dined at the infamous restaurant where a burger contains 9,982 calories every single day.

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Joshua Lott / REUTERS

A man who visited Las Vegas’ Heart Attack Grill every single day has died of a heart attack.

John Alleman, 52, dined at the eatery, which has a hospital theme and whose Quadruple Bypass Burger contains 9,982 calories, so often that he became its unofficial spokesman, reports the Las Vegas Sun.

He would stand outside the restaurant dressed in a hospital gown — calling himself “Patient John” — and try to entice passersby inside.

Alleman was a well-known fixture at the restaurant, despite never having been on its payroll; a caricature of him appears on the establishment’s menu, which also includes Flatliner Fries, Butterfat Milkshakes and filterless cigarettes.

“He never missed a day, even Christmas,” owner Jon Basso told the Sun. “I told him, ‘If you keep eating like this, it will kill you’.”

(MORE: Doctors’ Advice About Obesity: It’s Personal)

Alleman suffered a coronary while waiting for a bus in front of the restaurant last week, reports the Sun. He was rushed to hospital, but was taken off life support on Feb. 11.

Basso told the newspaper that Allerman was, at around 180lbs, not particularly overweight. He may have been genetically predisposed to heart problems, as both his parents died from heart attacks in their 50s, Basso said.

Alleman is the second unofficial spokesperson for the Heart Attack Grill to die in the past two years, notes the Guardian. Blair River, who weighed 575lbs, died in 2011 aged 29, apparently from pneumonia.

It may be time to stop taking the Heart Attack Grill’s name so seriously. In 2011, another patron suffered a heart attack in the restaurant. Customers assumed it was a publicity stunt, and stood around laughing and taking photos, reports the New York Post. Thankfully, he survived — as did the woman in her 40s who collapsed while eating a Double Bypass Burger, smoking cigarettes and drinking a margarita last April.

MORE: Healthy Diet Can Lower Risk of Recurrent Heart Attack and Stroke