Results 1 to 25 of 25
  1. #1
    Times Roman's Avatar
    Times Roman is offline Anabolic Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Back from Afghanistan
    Posts
    27,376

    A moment of silence please! - Jack LaLanne dies at 96

    This is a real shock to me..... I seriously thought this "hall of famer" would have made it to 100.... my faith has been rocked.... Jack was definately the man by any yard stick one cares to measure him with.... (a moment of silence, please!)

    Article below...
    LOS ANGELES – Jack LaLanne was prodding Americans to get off their couches and into the gym decades before it was cool. And he was still pumping iron and pushing fruits and vegetables decades past most Americans' retirement age.

    The fitness fanatic ate well and exercised — and made it his mission to make sure everyone did the same — right up to the end at age 96, friends and family said.

    LaLanne died Sunday at his home in Morro Bay on California's central coast, longtime agent Rick Hersh said. The cause was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

    "I have not only lost my husband and a great American icon, but the best friend and most loving partner anyone could ever hope for," Elaine LaLanne, LaLanne's wife of 51 years and a frequent partner in his television appearances, said in a written statement.

    Just before he had heart valve surgery in 2009 at age 95, Jack LaLanne told his family that dying would wreck his image, his publicist Ariel Hankin said at the time.

    "He was amazing," said 87-year-old former "Price is Right" host Bob Barker, who credited LaLanne's encouragement with helping him to start exercising often.

    "He never lost enthusiasm for life and physical fitness," Barker told The Associated Press on Sunday. "I saw him in about 2007 and he still looked remarkably good. He still looked like the same enthusiastic guy that he always was."

    LaLanne credited a sudden interest in fitness with transforming his life as a teen, and he worked tirelessly over the next eight decades to transform others' lives, too.

    "The only way you can hurt the body is not use it," LaLanne said. "Inactivity is the killer and, remember, it's never too late."

    His workout show was a television staple from the 1950s to the '70s. LaLanne and his dog Happy encouraged kids to wake their mothers and drag them in front of the television set. He developed exercises that used no special equipment, just a chair and a towel.

    He also founded a chain of fitness studios that bore his name and in recent years touted the value of raw fruit and vegetables as he helped market a machine called Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer.

    When he turned 43 in 1957, he performed more than 1,000 push-ups in 23 minutes on the "You Asked For It" television show. At 60, he swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco — handcuffed, shackled and towing a boat. Ten years later, he performed a similar feat in Long Beach harbor.

    He maintained a youthful physique and joked in 2006 that "I can't afford to die. It would wreck my image."

    "I never think of my age, never," LaLanne said in 1990. "I could be 20 or 100. I never think about it, I'm just me. Look at Bob Hope, George Burns. They're more productive than they've ever been in their whole lives right now."

    Fellow bodybuilder and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger credited LaLanne with taking exercise out of the gymnasium and into living rooms.

    "He laid the groundwork for others to have exercise programs, and now it has bloomed from that black and white program into a very colorful enterprise," Schwarzenegger said in 1990.

    In 1936 in his native Oakland, LaLanne opened a health studio that included weight-training for women and athletes. Those were revolutionary notions at the time, because of the theory that weight training made an athlete slow and "muscle bound" and made a woman look masculine.

    "You have to understand that it was absolutely forbidden in those days for athletes to use weights," he once said. "It just wasn't done. We had athletes who used to sneak into the studio to work out.

    "It was the same with women. Back then, women weren't supposed to use weights. I guess I was a pioneer," LaLanne said.

    The son of poor French immigrants, he was born in 1914 and grew up to become a sugar addict, he said.

    The turning point occurred one night when he heard a lecture by pioneering nutritionist Paul Bragg, who advocated the benefits of brown rice, whole wheat and a vegetarian diet.

    "He got me so enthused," LaLanne said. "After the lecture I went to his dressing room and spent an hour and a half with him. He said, 'Jack, you're a walking garbage can.'"

    Soon after, LaLanne constructed a makeshift gym in his back yard. "I had all these firemen and police working out there and I kind of used them as guinea pigs," he said.

    He said his own daily routine usually consisted of two hours of weightlifting and an hour in the swimming pool.

    "It's a lifestyle, it's something you do the rest of your life," LaLanne said. "How long are you going to keep breathing? How long do you keep eating? You just do it."

    In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Dan and Jon, and a daughter, Yvonne.

  2. #2
    Times Roman's Avatar
    Times Roman is offline Anabolic Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Back from Afghanistan
    Posts
    27,376
    he made his start in oakland, the city where i was born.... although i never met the man, he was a regional icon long before international stardom.
    RIP Jack

  3. #3
    stack_it's Avatar
    stack_it is offline Nothing to it, but to do it
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Pin it to win it!
    Posts
    8,296
    Saw this last night. At 96 the man was probably ready to go. Rip

  4. #4
    benny_jerry's Avatar
    benny_jerry is offline Junior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    96
    He Sound like a great guy. RIP

  5. #5
    Times Roman's Avatar
    Times Roman is offline Anabolic Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Back from Afghanistan
    Posts
    27,376

  6. #6
    Times Roman's Avatar
    Times Roman is offline Anabolic Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Back from Afghanistan
    Posts
    27,376
    Timeline: Jack LaLanne's feats(As reported on Jack LaLanne's website)

    1954 (age 40): swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, underwater, with 140 pounds (64 kg; 10 st) of equipment, including two air tanks. A world record.
    1955 (age 41): swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco while handcuffed. When interviewed afterwards he was quoted as saying that the worst thing about the ordeal was being handcuffed, which reduced his chance to Star Jump significantly.
    1956 (age 42): set a world record of 1,033 push-ups in 23 minutes on You Asked For It,[28] a television program with Art Baker.
    1957 (age 43): swam the Golden Gate channel while towing a 2,500-pound (1,100 kg; 180 st) cabin cruiser. The swift ocean currents turned this one-mile (1.6 km) swim into a swimming distance of 6.5 miles (10.5 km).
    1958 (age 44): maneuvered a paddleboard nonstop from Farallon Islands to the San Francisco shore. The 30-mile (48 km) trip took 9.5 hours.
    1959 (age 45): did 1,000 star jumps and 1,000 chin-ups in 1 hour, 22 minutes and The Jack LaLanne Show went nationwide.
    1974 (age 60): For the second time, he swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf. Again, he was handcuffed, but this time he was also shackled and towed a 1,000-pound (450 kg; 71 st) boat.
    1975 (age 61): Repeating his performance of 21 years earlier, he again swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge, underwater and handcuffed, but this time he was shackled and towed a 1,000-pound (450 kg; 71 st) boat.
    1976 (age 62): To commemorate the "Spirit of '76", United States Bicentennial, he swam one mile (1.6 km) in Long Beach Harbor. He was handcuffed and shackled, and he towed 13 boats (representing the 13 original colonies) containing 76 people.[29]
    1979 (age 65): towed 65 boats in Lake Ashinoko, near Tokyo, Japan. He was handcuffed and shackled, and the boats were filled with 6,500 pounds (2,900 kg; 460 st) of Louisiana Pacific wood pulp.[19]
    1980 (age 66): towed 10 boats in North Miami, Florida. The boats carried 77 people, and he towed them for over one mile (1.6 km) in less than one hour.
    1984 (age 70): Handcuffed, shackled and fighting strong winds and currents, towed 70 rowboats, one with several guests, from the Queen’s Way Bridge in the Long Beach Harbor to the Queen Mary, 1 mile.[30]
    [edit] Timeline: Jack LaLanne's awards1992 (age 78): Jack received the Academy of Body Building and Fitness Award.
    1994 (age 80): Jack received the State of California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness Lifetime Achievement Award.
    1996 (age 82): Jack received the Dwight D. Eisenhower Fitness Award.
    1999 (age 85): Jack received the Spirit of Muscle Beach Award.
    2002 (age 88): Jack received a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame.
    2004 (age 90): Jack celebrated his 90th birthday in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. ESPN Classic ran a 24-hour marathonof the original Jack LaLanne television shows.
    2004 (age 90): Jack became the official spokesperson for Covenant Reliance Producers, LLC, a Financial Marketing Organization based in Nashville, Tennessee
    2005 (age 91): Jack received the Jack Webb Award from the Los Angeles Police Department Historical Society, the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award, Interglobal's International Infomercial Award, the Freddie Award, and the Medical Media Public Service Award, and he was a Free Spirit honoree at Al Neuharth's Freedom Forum.

  7. #7
    Times Roman's Avatar
    Times Roman is offline Anabolic Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Back from Afghanistan
    Posts
    27,376
    Without Jack, the world of boby building would definately not be what it is today.

  8. #8
    SlimmerMe's Avatar
    SlimmerMe is offline ~Knowledgeable Female Extraordinaire~
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    USA and many other places
    Posts
    11,408
    May he rest in Peace.

  9. #9
    Times Roman's Avatar
    Times Roman is offline Anabolic Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Back from Afghanistan
    Posts
    27,376
    I must be dating myself here.... I grew up watching the b&w tv show exercising right along him....

  10. #10
    Bojangles69's Avatar
    Bojangles69 is offline Banned
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    New Joisey
    Posts
    7,947
    I know who he is but people will likely care more when arnold dies.

    Just saying Jack was the godfather of fitness, arnold was the godfather of bodybuilding.

  11. #11
    VegasRenegade's Avatar
    VegasRenegade is offline Finishing Member ~ Transformation Contest!
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Vegas
    Posts
    457
    Blog Entries
    41
    You and me Times Roman

    I still rememeber him his wife and the big dog on the show. He was my first into to working out.

    RIP you will be missed Jack

  12. #12
    chi's Avatar
    chi
    chi is offline Knowledgeable Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    corruption
    Posts
    1,782
    RIP in Mr Lalanne. The man was definitely an icon and will long be remembered not only for his charisma but for his contribution to the bodybuilding and fitness community. His shows of strength were legendary and rival many today.

  13. #13
    VegasRenegade's Avatar
    VegasRenegade is offline Finishing Member ~ Transformation Contest!
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Vegas
    Posts
    457
    Blog Entries
    41
    Great Jack quote

    "Billy Graham was for the hereafter. I'm for the here and now," he told The Times when he was almost 92, employing his usual rapid-fire patter.

  14. #14
    bjpennnn's Avatar
    bjpennnn is offline American Psycho
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    5,750
    man those are some accomplishments for any man at any age.

  15. #15
    Tigershark's Avatar
    Tigershark is offline "Who wants to be Clark Kent, when you can be Superman."
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    New Hampshire
    Posts
    13,284
    Noooooo!!!!
    This is the worst news I could hear today. Always looked up to him as a pioneer in the industry.
    RIP Jack. You will be missed.

  16. #16
    The Toad's Avatar
    The Toad is offline Associate Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    240
    I remember seeing his show as a kid... what an icon, RIP

  17. #17
    bodybuilder's Avatar
    bodybuilder is offline Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    1,820
    RIP indeed a great man who will always be remembered.

  18. #18
    THEROCMANCOMETH is offline New Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Georgia
    Posts
    30
    We have lost one of the Great ones.RIP Jack.

  19. #19
    T_Dubp's Avatar
    T_Dubp is offline Junior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    So Cal
    Posts
    133
    RIP Jack

  20. #20
    Tigershark's Avatar
    Tigershark is offline "Who wants to be Clark Kent, when you can be Superman."
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    New Hampshire
    Posts
    13,284
    Still sad about this.

  21. #21
    MuscleScience's Avatar
    MuscleScience is offline ~AR-Elite-Hall of Famer~
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    ShredVille
    Posts
    12,630
    Blog Entries
    6
    I had two relatives that lived well into their 100's so far. Their quality of life was not very good the last 10-20 years. I would say Jack's quality of life was probably stellar even towards the end. RIP
    “If you can't explain it to a second grader, you probably don't understand it yourself.” Albert Einstein

    "Juice slow, train smart, it's a long journey."
    BG

    "In a world full of pussies, being a redneck is not a bad thing."
    OB

    Body building is a way of life..........but can not get in the way of your life.
    BG

    No Source Check Please, I don't know of any.


    Depressed? Healthy Way Out!

    Tips For Young Lifters


    MuscleScience Training Log

  22. #22
    Times Roman's Avatar
    Times Roman is offline Anabolic Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Back from Afghanistan
    Posts
    27,376
    He exercised multiple hours every day until shortly right before his death... his quality of life was probably something like 99%

  23. #23
    bigpapabuff's Avatar
    bigpapabuff is offline Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    1,181
    yea must have had a gear quality of life, RIP Jack.

  24. #24
    Tigershark's Avatar
    Tigershark is offline "Who wants to be Clark Kent, when you can be Superman."
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    New Hampshire
    Posts
    13,284
    He was extrordinary. I loved watching him do his birthday stunts up into his 90s. Funniest thing I ever heard him say was when they asked him what he would do for his 100th bday. "I will probabally pull my wife across the bath tub."
    Loved that.

  25. #25
    Times Roman's Avatar
    Times Roman is offline Anabolic Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Back from Afghanistan
    Posts
    27,376
    the reality is none of us here can even come close to comparing....

    .... the sheer # of years he has worked out and exercised....... it's a mind job..... how could one possibly stay that focused for an entire life time

    .....no one here has done what he has done.... very humbling

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •