EFN

Jack LaLanne, who committed his life to educating Americans on healthy living and being fit, died of respiratory failure from pneumonia Sunday at his home in Morro Bay, Calif. He was 96.

LaLanne died Sunday at his home in Morro Bay on California’s central coast, his longtime agent, Rick Hersh, said.

LaLanne started working out with weights long before the general public, and in 1936 he opened the prototype for the fitness spas to come — a gym, juice bar and health food store — in an old office building in Oakland.

LaLanne, a San Francisco native, first became famous for The Jack LaLanne Show, which debuted in 1951 and continued into the mid-1980s. He counseled Americans on working out and nutrition before the subjects were commonplace.

Among his impressive fitness victories: At age 43, he performed 1,000 pushups in 23 minutes during a TV show. LaLanne, who was recognized for his jumpsuits as well as his muscles, showed off his abilities in stunts through the years, including towing boatloads of people in frigid sea water, and became known for striking a strongman pose, revealing his bulky biceps.

“I never think of my age, never,” he 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.”

LaLanne is survived by his wife and workout partner Elaine, his two sons Dan and Jon, and a daughter, Yvonne.