MORRO BAY, Calif. — Jack LaLanne, the man who brought fitness to the masses, has died. He was 96.
LaLanne passed away Sunday at his California home in Morro Bay, his longtime agent told the Associated Press. His cause of death 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," his wife, Elaine LaLanne, said in a statement.
Born in San Francisco, LaLanne admitted to being addicted to sugar and junk foods in his early years. But at age 15, LaLanne heard Paul Bragg speak on health and nutrition and the teen turned his focus to diet and exercise.
A pioneer in health and fitness, LaLanne studied Henry Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body and concentrated on bodybuilding, chiropractic medicine, and weightlifting, something virtually unheard of in the 1930s.
In 1936, LaLanne opened his own health spa in the Bay Area's Oakland and dedicated himself to encouraging others to better their life through exercise and fitness. He soon became known as "The Godfather of Fitness."
Over the years, LaLanne designed the world's first leg extension machines, pulley machines using cables, and weight selectors, now a standard in the fitness industry.
In addition to his wife, LaLanne is survived by two sons, Dan and Jon, and a daughter, Yvonne.
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