‘Patient John,’ Second Heart Attack Grill Spokesman, Dies Of Heart Attack

John Alleman, the unofficial spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas, has died from a heart attack.

A year and a half ago, Alleman began standing outside the restaurant urging people to come inside. Alleman wasn’t paid for his advertisement, but owner Jon Basso often gave him free food.

“I told him if you keep eating like this, it’s going to kill ya,” Basso told the Las Vegas Sun Friday. “He’d say, ‘I just love your place, Jon.’ He’s the only person I know who was probably at the restaurant more than I; he’d be here every darned day.”

Alleman, 52, was on life-support in a local hospital over the weekend before passing away Tuesday morning.

The Heart Attack Grill is known for its namesake-inducing creations, such as the double, triple, and quadruple bypass burgers. Guiness World Record named the latter its “most calorific burger” at a whooping 9,982 calories.

Alleman isn’t the first victim of the artery clogging cuisine. Last February, a diner experienced a heart attack while eating one of the infamous burgers. Basso called paramedics and the man was taken out on a stretcher. Fortunately, he survived. Two months later a female diner collapsed after eating a double bypass burger and drinking and smoking with friends. She also survived.

The Heart Attack Grill posted the news of Alleman’s passing on its Facebook page:

“For the past 18 months if you happen to walk by the Heart Attack Grill you were probably approached by our new spokesman John Alleman. So colorful was John’s sales pitch that we placed him on the cover of our menu. He was so popular with the customers that last summer we gave him his own “Patient John” clothing line on our website. John truly loved HAG and would spend hours every day getting the word out to anyone who would listen.

We are sad to say that John, at only 52, had a massive heart attack and is on life support in the cardiac unit at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas.

John had never been married and has no children. He was proceeded in death by his mother and father. He is survived solely by his brother and roommate Paul Alleman, who has made the humane decision to discontinue John’s life support on Monday Feb 11.

For a great person like John to just fade away into the night without funeral attendance would truly be an injustice to his wonderful life. For that reason the Heart Attack Grill shall close in observance of John’s funeral once the exact date is determined.

John was a fun spirited man who valued laughter above all else. He was loved deeply and will be missed.”

The first unofficial spokesman, Blair River, passed away in March 2011. The official cause of death was never released, but it was reported that the 29-year-old died of flu-related pneumonia.