It’s a grievous end for the man once considered the world’s most obese person, Andrés Moreno Sepúlveda.

As reported by Univision, the 38-year-old Mexican resident and former police officer died early Christmas morning on his way to a hospital in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora. Though Sepúlveda had reportedly been suffering from an inflammation of his abdomen, or peritonitis, the likely cause of death was heart attack, according to an interview conducted by Univision with Carmen Palacios, his surviving family’s spokesperson.

At the time of his death, Sepúlveda was nearly two months into his recovery from the bariatric surgery he underwent in late October. As previously reported by Medical Daily, Sepúlveda was, at his largest, nearly 980 pounds, reportedly making him the then-current record holder. By the time of the procedure, known as a biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch, Sepúlveda had already dropped about 100 pounds.

The surgery drastically reconfigured Sepúlveda’s digestive system, leaving him with a stomach one-fourth its original size and a shortened small intestine, in order to reduce his daily caloric intake. It was hoped he would reach 165-176 pounds, the normal range of weight for a man his age and height, by a year’s end.

According to Univision, though Sepúlveda was still on a liquid diet as of earlier this December, he had begun walking with the help of family members and could bathe himself. He was previously bedridden for most of the past four years. "I was very happy," he reportedly said at the time.

Funeral services were held for Sepúlveda Saturday.