LOS ANGELES, July 13 (UPI) -- Joe Gold, the legendary bodybuilder who opened the first Gold's Gym and later the World Gym franchise, has died in Los Angels at the age of 82.
Mike Uretz, chief executive officer of World Gym International, said Gold had been hospitalized for several days at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital. The cause of death was not reported, the Los Angeles Times said.
Gold opened his first Gold's Gym in the Venice section of Los Angeles during the mid-1960s. That's where California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger trained for his Mr. Universe title and where Schwarzenegger's movie "Pumping Iron" was filmed, the Times reported.
"Joe Gold was a bodybuilding legend, a pioneer, but above all, deep in his heart, he was a bodybuilding fan," Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
Gold sold the gyms and the Gold name and the franchise of Gold's Gyms expanded to hundreds of locations nationwide. However, Gold is also known for the workout equipment he designed for gyms -- enabling bodybuilders to go beyond dumbbells and barbells. He later started the World Gym franchise.
Gold was born March 10, 1922, in Los Angeles, the son of a junk dealer who discovered Muscle Beach where stunt people and bodybuilders trained.
He joined the Merchant Marines and later, during World War II, he joined the U.S. Navy. He was badly injured when a torpedo exploded alongside his ship in the Philippines. Although he recovered, he later suffered from crippling pain and spent much of his last years in a wheelchair.
