Sloth's tragic real-life story

If you were an '80s kid and you didn't know about John "The Tooz" Matuszak — who was just as famous for his hard-partying, loud, larger-than-life persona as he was for his football game — you definitely knew about his alter-ego, the enormous, gentle, unconventionally-featured Sloth, who was the face of the 1985 classic Goonies. Sloth was a 1980s icon, as beloved as E.T. and as recognizable as Indiana Jones. But the man who played Sloth led a troubled life. Family tragedy followed by early fame set him on a course of self-destruction that ended in his sudden and unexpected death at the age of 38.

In a lot of ways, Sloth was not just the on-screen alter ego of the former football star, he was the actual manifestation of the person Matuszak was on the inside: a lovable giant who was also a generous friend. Unfortunately, though, for the real Sloth there was no happy ending.