Posted on 01/23/2011 9:17:47 PM PST by Justaham
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 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, his longtime agent Rick Hersh said.
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.
He maintained a youthful physique and joked in 2006 that "I can't afford to die. It would wreck my image."
Former "Price is Right" host Bob Barker credited LaLanne's encouragement with helping him to start exercising often.
"He never lost enthusiasm for life and physical fitness," the 87-year-old 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 (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 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."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I was going to cite the “I can’t die” quip but I see AP has already used it. RIP. 96 is still quite an accomplishment although it should be noted that George Burns smoked cigars all his life and lived to be even older.
He was one of the good ones.
Elaine LaLanne....sounds like she and Mr. LaLanne were very happy together. RIP
I remember watching him as a kid on a black and white TV. RIP Mr. LaLanne.
I'd be happy to reach 96! But two things: the older I get, the more I realize that 1) stress and worry will age you, and 2) diet and exercise are important, but so are indulging a bit and relaxing.
We're fortunate that we don't have hardship and malnutrition to shorten our years the way our ancestors did. But sloth and a poor diet will do you in pretty quick, too!
Guess he finally ran out of juice. RIP
yeah but George Burns played G*d too..
I really think genetics has more to do with how long you will live than any other factor. On my mother’s side of the family, nobody has died younger than 85 and most live well into their 90’s, my great-aunt recently died at 103! None of them really watched their diet and most smoked at some point in their life. On the other side of the coin, I have a friend who nobody on his fathers side of the family has lived past their 60th birthday. His father recently died at 54, and his brother died the year before at 55.
I’m truly sad to see Mr. LaLanne go. He was a fine gentleman.
He has been a frequent guest of Neil Cavuto. I’m sure Neil will have something on him on tomorrow’s program.
RIP,Jack.You’ve earned it
i remember doing that too! my mother would turn the channel to his program either before or after i watched Captain Kangeroo! i remember i used to think his name was Jackalane...
Sad news. He was a good guy - my sympathies to Elaine.
Exercise or not, Jack was an inspiration to live.
Can you imagine how many lives Jack LaLanne touched and made better? He was a blessing from God, all the more because LaLanne was headed for trouble as a young man and turned his life around, and then with that life inspired countless people, myself included. Thanks, Jack, for living life the way you did. Thanks to God for loaning him to us.
The first thing I thought of though, when I saw the obituary on Google, was Johnny Carson's send up of him. Carson called his character Johnny Lalane, and pronounced the last name like "Lalonny". It was hilarious!
96. God bless him.
Looks like all that healthy eating and exercise finally caught up with him.
I thought he would never die.
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