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Big Pun

Big Pun was 28 when he died in February 2000 due to heart failure and extreme obesity; nearly 700 pounds with an enlarged heart, about three times the normal size. 

Pun’s rise in hip-hop was fast and steady, and so was his weight gain. When Capital Punishment was released in 1998, he weighed in at 400 pounds. By the time of his death, just two years later, he weighed 698 pounds, and could no longer tie his own shoelaces.

Known for his remarkable live performances, Big Pun was less and less able to get around because of his weight. “Given his size, Pun’s performance is filled with suspense,” critic Rob Marriot wrote in the Village Voice. The hot lights and physical activity on stage clearly tested the rapper’s stamina, and audience members often wondered if he would make it through a set.