A GENTLE, GOLDEN MAN

Behind the stained-glass windows of St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Los Angeles in March of 1994, John Candy's family and closest friends—among them Tom Hanks, Bill Murray and Martin Short—gathered to honor a man taken too soon.

- By LIZZIE HYMAN

The outpouring of love extended far beyond the church walls. In a city accustomed to commotion, the funeral procession brought a rare and reverent stillness: The 405 freeway was shut down in Candy's honor. “It’s only been done twice before—once for the Pope, once for the President,” asserts Eugene Levy, who was a pallbearer, in the new documentary John Candy: I Like Me. “You know you've made it when they’re closing freeways for you.”

At another ceremony in Toronto, Candy's friend and frequent costar Catherine O'Hara delivered a eulogy that echoed the sentiments of many: “John’s life had meaning. He had principles. He lived by them. He worked by them. He set a good example in so many ways.”