This is exactly what I came to say.
I had never heard of him before Pandora and now I hear him almost every day, I was genuinely shocked when I head he died.
I too say a sad “Nay Nay”
It looks like the answer is Mickey Rooney.
I love the line, “there is a great Chinese buffet near me…well, to be honest that is the reason I moved there.”
why is it always the live ones?
First James Rebhorn and now this guy? If I had been involved with the Seinfeld finale, I’d be starting to get worried right about now.
I often quote one of his standup bits:
So then he [John’s doctor] asks me, “Do you eat a lot of gluten?” “I don’t know what gluten is…but I would say yes.”
Aw man, he was my favorite 
His ticketmaster reviews of late have been quite bad. Most suggest he was indeed in very poor health, even with him losing 200 pounds of weight.
Here he is on WGN in November, seeming pretty healthy having lost weight. He looks like he needs skin removal, but I’m sure he could afford that on his touring money(he was a big draw).
The man hadn’t even bothered to have his suit coat taken in. I doubt resection of redundant skin was even on his radar. 
RIP, BTW. 
Chinese Buffet rocked, by my fave of his was the “Trip to France/Eat In Italy” bit.
I was hosted by an Italian Family while working there, and that bit really struck home.
RIP, dude.
The coroner listed a history of heart disease (not surprising) and liver problems. Is there any particular liver ailment that can be exacerbated by extreme obesity?
I have trouble enjoying Ralphie May’s routines because of his obvious bad health.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver. I’m not saying that is what he had, but it is found in morbidly obese people, which he definitely was at one point.
In that interview, he did note that he’d had some skin removed – he said something about, “they took enough skin to make a wife for me.”
He was one of my favorite comedians. Great ear for accents, as well. I, too, say nay nay.
It’s been 15 years since and only two people have died during that time. That sounds like the odds are in your favour, at that rate.
Anyways. It’s interesting to me how many people here, and who I follow at other sites, talk about John Pinette like he’s a well known comedian (as he clearly is for them), and yet I’ve never heard of him, nor seen his acting. It’s funny how that can happen.
I knew him purely from the dope as well. Someone linked to his salad monologue. He really was funny and I’m sorry to hear that he’s died.
Besides liking him myself, I liked that our whole family could watch his specials together.
Many, many of the comedians that I follow on twitter, besides expressing their shock, are posting that he was kind and generous to other comics. That doesn’t surprise me at all, but it’s still nice to read.
I’m sorry that he’s gone.
Several years ago I was talking to a GI specialist about liver issues. He cautioned that rapid weight loss could have a negative impact on the liver.