Wesley Warren – better known as the man with the 10-stone testicles – died from a heart attack last night at the age of 49
Mr Warren, from Las Vegas had suffered from an extreme case of the rare disease scrotal lymphedema, which caused his testicles to swell with watery fluid.
He became famous in the UK when Channel Four filmed a 13-hour operation to remove 132.5lb of tissue in June last year
Before his surgery last summer, Warren used to wear hooded sweatshirts as trousers, using the hood as a makeshift scrotum sling.
But he had spent the last five-and-a-half weeks in hospital from infections stemming from his diabetes.
He reportedly suffered two heart attacks in recent weeks at University Medical Centre in Las Vegas.
US TV Network The Learning Channel, which broadcast the original programme featuring Mr Warren’s operation, said: “We are saddened to hear about the sudden loss of Wesley.
“He was a lovely man who bravely told his story, and we share our condolences with his family and friends.’’
Following the corrective surgery Warren was hoping he would find love.
Before his operation, desperate Warren described his life as a living, breathing freak show.
Warren, 49, groaned: “I draw attention everywhere I go.
“There are a lot of people that will look and laugh and stare in shock and awe and amazement and it’s tough to deal with.”
Little did Warren know about the ordeal ahead of him when he accidentally triggered his condition by crushing his privates while getting out of bed.
Doctors prescribed antibiotics for the inflammation but instead of going down, the swelling increased until his scrotum was the size of a beach ball.
Warren’s crippling deformity meant he couldn’t even sit down without a milk crate between his legs and going to the toilet was a daily torment.
“I miss just doing simple things such as going to the post office and shopping in the supermarket,” he had said.
“It’s almost like being in prison. I don’t know how much longer I have to live with this testicle sac continuing to grow.
“But there is no plan as to what I can do. I don’t have any answers.”
Unable to work and reliant on benefits, Warren, from Las Vegas, Nevada, didn’t think he’d ever be able to afford the complex surgery he needed.
Local doctors were only able to offer him complete removal of the whole area, which would effectively castrate him.
With the weight of his testicles increasing by several pounds a month, Warren took to Facebook to raise the cash to travel further afield.
Through social media and appearances on US TV, he managed to get $2,000.
But things turned sour when social security officials got wind of his savings and temporarily stopped his benefits.
Warren, who was terrified he would end up homeless, even considered selling his testicle sac on eBay to help fund his treatment.
But after a consultant in California heard of his plight he offered to perform the surgery, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, for free.
The 13-hour operation was filmed by Channel 4 and involved removing 132.5lb of tissue.
Doctors then took skin from other parts of his body to reconstruct his genitals which remained in full working order.
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