Jack LaLanne

John "Jack" LaLanne born on September 26, 1914 in San Francisco, California, to Jean LaLanne and Jennie Garaig. His parents were immigrants from Oloron-Sainte-Marie in southwest France. LaLanne had an older brother, Norman (1908–2005), who lived to the age of 97. The fitness, exercise, nutritional expert, and motivational speaker has been called "the godfather of fitness". LaLanne gained recognition for his success as a bodybuilder, as well as his prodigious feats of strength. He was inducted to the California Hall of Fame and had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

LaLanne blamed overly processed foods for many health problems. He advocates a vegetarian diet, though he eats some fish himself, and has described organic food as "a bunch of bull."

After graduating from high school, LaLanne attended night classes at Oakland Chiropractic College in San Francisco and graduated with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree. In 1936, he opened his own health spa (gym) in Oakland, California and encouraged clients to better themselves through weight-training. LaLanne designed the first leg extension machines, pulley machines using cables, and the weight selectors that are now standard in the fitness industry. He was the inventor of the Smith machine. LaLanne encouraged women to lift weights (though at the time it was thought this would make women look masculine and unattractive). By the 1980s, Jack LaLanne's European Health Spas numbered more than 200. He eventually licensed all his health clubs to the Bally company, and they are now known as Bally Total Fitness. He is no longer associated with any gym, but still lifts weights.

Jack LaLanne presented fitness and exercise advice on television for 34 years. The Jack LaLanne Show was the longest running television exercise program. It began as a local program on San Francisco's ABC television station, KGO-TV, but eventually was carried on the ABC network nationwide. In 1959, LaLanne recorded Glamour Stretcher Time, a workout album which provided phonograph-based instruction for exercising with an elastic cord called the Glamour Stretcher. LaLanne has published books and videos on fitness and nutrition, appeared in movies, recorded a song with Connie Haines. He has marketed exercise equipment, a range of vitamin supplements, and two models of electric juicers. These include the "Juice Tiger", as seen on Amazing Discoveries with Mike Levey, and "Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer".^[9] It was on the show that LaLanne introduced the phrase "That's the power of the juice!".

LaLanne celebrated his 95th birthday with the release of a new book titled, Live Young Forever. In the book, he discusses how he has kept healthy and active well into his advanced age.

Until his death at the age of 96, LaLanne continued to work out every morning for two hours. He spent 1½ hours in the weight room and half an hour swimming or walking. LaLanne was married to Elaine LaLanne; they lived in Morro Bay, California. When interviewed by Katie Couric on NBC's Today show, LaLanne said his two simple rules of nutrition are: "if man made it, don't eat it", and "if it tastes good, spit it out." He often said, "I cannot afford to die, it will ruin my image." On December 8, 2009, the 95-year-old LaLanne underwent heart valve surgery at a Los Angeles Hospital.

Jack LaLanne died on January 23, 2011 of respiratory failure due to pneumonia at his home in Morro Bay, California. LaLanne was an Inaugural Inductee into the National Fitness Hall of Fame in 2005.

On December 15, 2008, in a ceremony presided over by California Governor (and fellow 2005 inductee of the National Fitness Hall of Fame) Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, Jack LaLanne was inducted into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts along with 11 other legendary Californians inducted that year.

Good Night Mr. LaLanne

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Tony Figueroa