Heart attack grill pitchman dies at 29

The spokesman for a US burger joint that has the catchphrase "taste worth dying for" has died.

Blair River, the 29-year-old, 575-pound pitchman for Heart Attack Grill, died Tuesday, the restaurant's owner, Jon Basso.

Basso said River died from complications due to pneumonia.

He said River was a "wonderful person" who was like the "big man on campus" when he came into the restaurant.

"Pretty much every nurse in the house had a crush on him," Basso said in an interview from Phoenix, also calling River "a gentle giant of a man who cared deeply for others."

River was a "creative genius" who wrote the restaurant's commercials, Basso said.
 

Even if he was very skinny, I still would have given him the job," he said. "We love him. We miss him. We will never forget him."

The Heart Attack Grill's Facebook page describes River as a "special man who cared as deeply as he smiled." Fans of the restaurant posted tributes on the page.

"May we eat a bypass in your name, Blair," Alberto Montes posted, referring to one of the burgers available at the Heart Attack Grill.

The menu also includes a butterfat shake, flatliner fries deep fried in pure lard, and candy cigarettes.

The waitresses dress as nurses and the restaurant promises if you weigh more than 350 lbs., you can eat for free.

"The Heart Attack Grill is continually accused of glorifying obesity. What we actually do is glorify the freedoms we have as Americans to lead our lives in any way we choose, even if that path is destructive," Basso said.

"I prescribe burgers, fries, and most importantly, food for thought. An unreceptive audience may fail to grasp the latter menu offering, but to those with insight, the Heart Attack Grill provides an invaluable life lesson."

There are restaurants in Phoenix and Dallas.

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