Leading Figures From Bodybuilding And Fitness Remember Joe Weider

There is no doubting the influence Joe has had on many men and women wanting to become bodybuilders, including me. As a teenager I sent away for my first set of weights from an ad Joe had in his magazine. I thought that because I bought the set of weights from him that they had special powers that would help me with my bodybuilding goals. When I won the Mr. Brooklyn contest, Joe presented me the first place trophy—that alone was worth winning. Among many other achievements, Joe Weider will be long remembered for his contribution to bodybuilding and the Mr. Olympia contest.

What can you say about the Father of Bodybuilding? Joe serves as an amazing example of a man who followed his passion to pursue something well beyond financial and material success. He is among those scant few who can lay claim to creating an entire industry and placing a worldwide emphasis on and creating an awareness of weight training, nutrition, health and fitness. The number of lives that Joe directly and indirectly impacted could never even begin to be counted. He will live on in eternity as others carry his message forward. Joe has left an iconic, amazing legacy and he and his influence on the industry will be missed sorely and often.

At his core, Joe was a teacher. He taught us to have the courage to dream big. He taught us that bodybuilding is both an art form and a sport. He taught us his Weider principles. I was honored to call Joe a friend, and it's a relationship that has forever changed the course of my life.

I'll miss seeing Joe. I'll miss his gentle handshakes and his honesty. But most of all, I'll miss his passion. Joe Weider changed the world, and it all started with a dream and a typewriter.

I had the great opportunity to meet Mr. Weider a few times in my career. I remember him teaching me and showing me how to pose and how to correctly hit the front double biceps pose. He was the man who made bodybuilding and fitness industry what it is today. He recognized Arnold's talent and helped make him the most famous bodybuilder on earth. I remember, as if it was yesterday, when we met and he said to me, "You look like a champion!" I'm proud I had the chance to meet the father of our great sport.

Joe Weider had the greatest influence on my bodybuilding career—more than anyone else. First, the Weider Principles are what I used to train by when I first started working out. Then, when I met Joe, he personally taught me a lot about dieting and working out. I spent many days at his house, and we would go out for lunch every time I came to L.A. Joe would personally drive me to these lunches in his car.

Even while he was eating lunch with me, he was still giving me advice on how to better digest food by eating slowly. I was a fast eater, especially when I was hungry. He also gave me the longest contract ever when he signed me to a six-year deal after I won my first Mr. Olympia. Not only that, but he signed my girlfriend Vickie Gates to a three-year contract—of course it helped that she had placed third in the Ms. Olympia.

Joe gave me advice on every aspect of bodybuilding every time we were together. That's what I'll always miss about Joe: the long talks we had about bodybuilding over lunch and dinner. He was one of the most receptive people I ever met. Whenever I brought someone over his house to meet him, he was always the nicest guy in the world and always offered these guys advice on bodybuilding, too.

Like Arnold and many others, my big break came from Joe Weider. He offered me the opportunity to write the "Ripped" column in Muscle & Fitness, giving me a pipeline to the world over the next 16 years. I will be forever grateful. There will never be another like him. May he rest in peace.

Joe Weider will be remembered as the godfather of bodybuilding. He was unique, original and avant-garde. I was fortunate to have been part of the art and sport of bodybuilding during the 1980s and 90s. Joe and his brother Ben made these two decades the golden era of bodybuilding stardom.

At the 1990 Olympia, Joe, who was always backstage, did something unusual. He came to me after the results were announced and shoved the Sandow statue in my hands. Then he put the medals around my neck and asked Bob Gardner to take some pictures. He told me: "Francois (which he used to call me), come next year with this shape and condition, to win Mr. Olympia." I was in shock, but I soon learned that Joe did this when he wanted to inspire someone.

Joe was humble and respected his team of athletes. When I needed to see him, I didn't have to wait long before I could speak to him over the phone or in person at his office. He offered me the opportunity to turn pro after he first saw me during the 1987 IFBB World Championships. Later on, he made my dreams come true when he brought me over to Venice, California, in 1991.

Joe loved to assist during photo shoots. He would improve my posture and help me to better display my muscularity, but it was hard work. During this time with him, I learned a lot about posing and muscle contraction. He also gave advice to top photographers, and some didn't like his input—especially when Joe went behind the camera and took pictures. He simply wanted the best pictures, and he would do whatever and stay as long as necessary to get the job done. On one occasion, I remember that we spent an entire day on a complicated cover shoot.

Joe kept a Polaroid of me in his pocket that he used systematically before a photo shoot to improve lighting. This Polaroid represented the famous "David' pose that Joe asked me to take for his magazine. He also liked aesthetic bodybuilders and the artistic side of bodybuilding.

Being a Weider athlete in those days was an honor! Joe will be greatly missed.

The greatest tribute anyone from the bodybuilding world can give to Joe Weider is that he was the ultimate bodybuilding fan. He loved the sport; he lived it 24 hours a day. It was his life. There is now a void in the sport. There will never be another Joe Weider.

Master Blaster, rest in peace.

"If a lost son comes back to his father, he welcomes him with open arms."

These are the most remarkable words Joe ever spoke to me during a more turbulent time of my life. Joe was a father to me. Now he has died. It hurts, but my memories of him are among the best of my life.

I was only 21 when I met Joe for the first time at his Woodland Hills office in 1983. There were so many questions I wanted to ask. He answered them all before I even expressed them. When I left, I thanked him. He replied, "You are going to be a champion." This one experience symbolizes what Joe has done for many athletes and for the sport of bodybuilding. To me, he was and always will be the Master Blaster. Thank you Joe, for what you have done for the sport and for what you have done for me.

There was no one who lived, ate, and breathed bodybuilding 24/7 like Joe Weider. He was a caring man who wanted the best for all the athletes. He marched to his own drummer, but that is what made him odd and great at the same time. Years ago, he asked me to come in to tape 10 minutes for the Weider Education series. He got so excited about the scientific data I was sharing that he kept me there taping for over seven hours. Joe had this remarkable childlike wonder and fascination for art, information, and knowledge.

It is a sad moment in the bodybuilding and fitness world. We have lost a pioneer, icon, mentor, and friend in Joe Weider. I first became aware of Joe Weider when I read Muscle Builder at 12 years old and I knew that I wanted to be a bodybuilder. After fulfilling my dream of becoming a pro bodybuilder, Joe Weider had a great influence on my continued improvement. He talked to me frequently on the phone and flew me to California to do photos for his magazines. He also helped publicize me so I could make a living as a bodybuilder. He constantly made me aware that I had to work hard. He taught me that working hard in the gym could be used for success in other areas of my life.

Later on, when I started my supplement company Gaspari Nutrition, Joe was there as a friend to motivated me and gave me words of encouragement. I felt like Joe was a second father to me. I wanted to make him proud. He was a great example of how hard work and perseverance pays off. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

For more of Rich's insights on Joe Weider, visit his personal blog.