Lou Ann Bennett said she knew the man for year and said rumors have gotten way out of hand. Bennett said what upsets her most is that the man died alone and the way he is being remembered.

Bennett said he was a nice man who stayed in the house. Even when she saw him, which was rarely, he was covered with a blanket.

Photos from inside the home show garbage and pizza boxes piled up. Some of the mess is from the wall being cut out to rescue the man, who was sitting in an arm chair.

"The last time I was down there, the house wasn't clean, but it wasn't like it was on the news," Bennett said. "It stunk. I'll give you that. It stunk to high heaven. But let's not keep blowing this out of proportion."

Bennett said her husband is the one who cut the wall out to help rescue the man, who she said was 348 pounds. She said the man lived with his girlfriend and another man, but he ran the house.

"He was the one who was in charge. He chose to live like that. And it wasn't because anybody put him in that chair and he didn't live in that chair for two years," Bennett said.

She said she never knew the man to have a job but said his lifestyle wasn't always what it was over the past few weeks.

"He used to cut grass. He used to work on cars. He used to (go) fishing. But when his knees started hurting him so bad, that's when he got in the chair and refused to move around a lot," Bennett said.

Recently, she said, he refused to let his girlfriend clean him up and his condition deteriorated. When she was notified of the situation, she gave them a week to clean the home up and said people have since done so.

"That poor guy needs to be left alone. The family needs to be left alone and he needs to be let rest in peace," Bennett said.

Previous Stories: March 31, 2011: Man Who Was In Chair For 2 Years Dies March 29, 2011: Police: Man Sat In Chair For 2 Years, Found In Deplorable Conditions