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The second unofficial spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill in downtown Las Vegas has died from an apparent heart attack.
John Alleman suffered a heart attack last week as he waited at the bus stop in front of the restaurant, located inside the Neonopolis at Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard.
Alleman was taken off life support shortly after 1 p.m. on Monday, said restaurant owner Jon Basso. He was 52.
"He lived a very full life," said Basso, who seemed shaken when reached by phone Monday evening. "He will be missed."
The Pennsylvania native is survived by his only family, his brother Paul. Basso said Alleman had a genetic predisposition for cardiac problems, as both of his parents died of heart attacks in their 50s.
Basso recalled Alleman as a fun-loving man who loved the Heart Attack Grill. The medically themed restaurant is famous for its high-calorie menu that includes a record-breaking 9,982-calorie, 3-pound Quadruple Bypass Burger.
Since the restaurant opened in October 2011, Basso said Alleman would stand outside its doors every day, coaxing customers in. Soon enough, Alleman became a fixture at the restaurant he loved, Basso said.
When he wasn't working security at an abandoned high-rise construction site on the Strip, Alleman could be found at the grill, talking with customers and eating a burger.
"He never missed a day, even on Christmas," Basso said. "People just loved him. He connected with people in a real way."
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