I don’t use the word “icon” very often. However, this man was a part of my life at a very young age. I’m going to celebrate a half century of life at the end of the year. This man was there for 49 years of it.
A lot of you won’t remember life withoutout color tv or cable or computers or cell phones. I remember all of that. Note for younger people: It doesn’t make me better…just older. This man…
was a part of my life for all of those years.
Francois Henri “Jack” LaLanne was born on September 26, 1914. He passed on January 23, 2011 from complications from pneumonia. He was 96.
According to Wikipedia he:
He published numerous books on fitness and hosted a fitness television show between 1951 and 1985.
Jack LaLanne was born in San Francisco to French immigrant parents. In 1936 He opened his first gym in Oakland, Ca. He encouraged women to lift weights, though it was felt that it would make them look masculine at the time. His European Health Spas eventually numbered more than 200. He finally sold out to Bally and they are currently known as “Bally Total Fitness”.
The “Jack LaLanne Show” was one of the staples of my childhood. It was the longest running tv exercise show ever at 34 years. That is the part of my childhood that I remember most.
The life of Jack LaLanne that I wish to give the most honor to is his 51 year marriage to his wife Elaine and their son Jon. In a time when things like marriage don’t seem to last, this one did and was never in the tabloids that I can remember. If someone else remembers, don’t tell me please. I don’t want to know.
I could go on, but I won’t. The above vid is what I grew up with. It’s not the greatest thing. I think that a 51 year marriage is the truly awesome thing. I’m very lucky. I have a wonderful marriage.
Our heart goes out to his wife Elaine. I don’t know if this song means what it does to me, but it’s one of my very favorites.
Here is a song, dedicated to Jack’s wife. It’s by one of the best.
It may not match, but I’m leaving this with my favorite song ever.
Our true condolences go out to his wife and family. We will miss him dearly.
Yeesh, Revitalize Your Life was one of two books (Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength being #2) that got me to start lifting despite consistently being the only woman in the freeweights room. He’s done a lot of good in the world for a society that seems unwilling to listen, for the most part – natural foods and resistance training is the only “magic fitness bullet” I know of.
I hope I make it to 96 and have just as much love and life crammed in there as he did.
I remember doing jumping jacks to his tv show. I was mostly deaf (yep, born that way) and whatnot, but darn. He was always there. 🙂