Fitness Guru Jack LaLanne Dies at 96

By PopEater / Wire Services Posted Jan 23rd 2011 11:00PM

Jack LaLanne, the fitness guru who inspired television viewers to trim down, eat well and pump iron for decades before diet and exercise became a national obsession, died on Sunday. He was 96.

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

LaLanne ate healthy and exercised every day of his life up until the end, Hersh said.

"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.

LaLanne (pronounced lah-LAYN') credited a sudden interest in fitness with transforming his life as a teen, and he worked tirelessly over the next eight decades to transform the lives of others.

"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. In recent years, he touted the value of raw fruits 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.

Get more at Aol News.

2010 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Tags: jack lalanne

Comments

(242)

Monday 24 January

By elizabeth

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Jack, thanks for getting me back in shape after my babies were born...50 years ago. The toddler used to do the exercises with me and the little one wobbled in his crib. Thanks for the Jack LaLanne club; thanks for the juicer...

A grateful fan...in honor of your life, i promise to get back to it!

By ead17

I was just thinking about him. My mom used to sit me in front of the TV before I started school, when I was about 4, and I remember watching Jack LaLanne, on an old black and white television, back in the mid-sixties. What a guy.

By hello paul

That man was always an inspiration to anyone who wants to live a long healthy life. Yes I guess dying would ruin his image, my condolances to his wife and family.

By Christy

RIP Jack.

By gerifit.com

Jack was my inspiration and the reason why Geri-Fit was started. We hope all older adults who exercise with weights will live to to 90+ years of age. Prayers to Elaine and their family. Jack was a great man who will always be admired for his get-up-and go attitude.

Always.... Francesca from gerifit.

By Ray Franklin

We will miss you. Thanks for all your help!

By Brian Ligon

Vote down Vote up Report this

he was the greatest and his greatest phrase was when he would say "my wife and I make love almost everyday".....when his wife would be asked to confirm it, she would say ..."yea, almost on Monday, almost on Tuesday, almost on Wednesday.............

By Hodad

Jack is an icon, a good man of humor too, which is why I think he knows that everyone who has ever eaten carrots dies too.. :( Long live Jack in our hearts, minds and body's everytime we hit the gym or do what ever we do. Condolences to his loved ones, RIP.

By Calvin

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

He just always seemed like a very honest, simple yet dedicated family man. He will be missed. Rest in Peace and give them a workout up there!!!!!!!!!!!

By Work+Luck=???

He was this nice guy that cared about you and your health. I can remember working out with him when I was young. Though I never met him, I realize now how much I liked him. Thank you Jack.

By DAVID

His message was loud and clear.If you want to live a full and active life.follow a try pioneer,and work out.I often wondered how long he would live.Sadly I got my anwser today.I miss him already.A true american icon,wish we could have another 96 years.Rest in peace,say hello to mom and dad for me.

By pfordeb

I remember those black and white workouts from the 50's. Great, inspirational man. Will be greatly missed. Condolences to his family.

By C. Bright

What an inspiration to us all. To the LaLanne family: you are truly blessed to have had this man in your lives, he has touched us all in a way we can never repay. It was a privilege to have lived in his time. Goodbye Jack....

By a.g

we lost a great man today.youll always be in my heart ,god bless you and your family.you wil;l be missed bur your legend will never die......

By Judy

He was a great man. He will be missed very much. I grew up watching him.I will keep his wife in my prayers.

By Donna

Remembering Jack Lalanne brings back so many childhood memories. RIP.

By BS

He was right: It's never too late to start, no matter how old you are, and you will feel the difference in no time.

By Catherine

This man was a true icon. He lived what he preached which led to his longevity. Condolences to the Lalanne family. He will be truley missed. RIP Sir..

By Messa

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

What a shame. Honestly though, he mentions Bob Hope and George Burns, but they both lived to be 100 AND drank and smoked. I am glad Jack LaLanne lived a good, long life...I'm just not sure how much of it was due to "living right" and how much was due to genes and luck. Just saying. R.I.P. Mr. LaLanne.

By Brent

I am 40 and have been working out since I was 13. Jack was definitely my inspiration and a hero. His energy at his age was astonishing, not to mention his unwavering belief in fitness. God bless you Jack for all the people you have reached and educated. RIP. You were one of the great ones.

Page 2 of 13