Fitness Guru Jack LaLanne Dead at 96

Monday, 24 January 2011 | by Pat's Picks

The man credited with starting America’s fitness craze has died at the age of 96 reports the LA Times this morning. Known for his muscles, his enthusiasm, and his “rapid-fire patter,” Jack LaLanne opened the country’s first health club back in 1936. He was known for regarding fitness as a kind of personal religion; the Times dug up a quote LaLanne gave them a few years back, in which he explained his philosophy: “Billy Graham was for the hereafter. I’m for the here and now.”