The Tragic Truth About Andre The Giant's Death

Andre Roussimoff was a literal giant of his profession. The massive man, who became known as the famous pro wrestling luminary Andre the Giant as well as the kind-hearted Fezzik in The Princess Bride, is a legend of the squared circle, a beloved performer, and an absolutely legendary drinker who Biography tells us could reportedly down 7,000 calories a day in just alcohol.  

Unfortunately, Andre's physical condition deteriorated heavily in his final years. Though he remained a celebrated wrestling star, by the early 1990s he was significantly overweight and rendered nearly immobile by a vast number of injuries and ailments, including a massive knee surgery. He wrestled his last match in December 1992. By the end of January 1993, he would be dead.

As MD Mag notes, the 46-year-old Andre the Giant died in his sleep in a hotel room in Paris on January 27, 1993. The cause of death was congestive heart failure. However, according to Hollywood Reporter, his heart was hardly the only thing wrong with the "Eighth Wonder of the World" at the time. The Giant loved being a wrestling star so much that he refused treatment for his acromegaly — the condition that caused his size and gave him significant health troubles. Instead of letting medical professionals reverse his condition, he endured his body slowly breaking apart, as his bodily organs expanded and his body kept growing. Because his changing stature and refusal to treat the underlying reason made the treatment of his symptoms extremely difficult, he self-medicated heavily with drugs and alcohol.