The game of bodybuilding has lost a titan. On Sept. 14, 2022, through a post on his Facebook page, Bill Pearl’s wife, Judy, announced that the retired bodybuilder had died on the age of 91.
His wife noted that Pearl had recently overcome a serious bacterial infection, following a lawn mower accident which occurred in April. He was concurrently battling Parkinson’s Disease, diagnosed in 2016, which his wife believes can have caused his death.
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While serving with the US Navy within the early Nineteen Fifties, Pearl began strength training at Leo Stern’s Gym in San Diego. Stern would encourage Pearl to provide competitive bodybuilding a try. After Pearl won the 1953 Mr. California, Mr. America, and Mr. Universe Amateur titles, the remainder was history.
With a singular mass and strength, Pearl was a bodybuilding mainstay within the mid-Twentieth century. For an intermittent part over almost 20 years between 1952-1971, Pearl competed in 11 bodybuilding competitions, winning nine of them. In that point, Pearl won contests starting from the 1952 Mr. San Diego to a few acclaimed Mr. Universe Pro contests (1961, 1967, 1971).
After having fun with his fruitful profession, in 1978, Pearl stepped away from bodybuilding as an energetic competitor on the age of 48. To at the present time, only Edward Kawak (1982-1985, 1993) and Eddy Ellwood (1997-2001) have ever won more Mr. Universe competitions. Pearl is tied with fellow bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger (1968-1970) at three victories.
Following Pearl’s bodybuilding profession, he was a mentor, trainer, and training partner to nine Mr. America winners and 14 Mr. Universe champions. Among the many more notable may be 1982 Mr. Olympia Chris Dickerson.
Eventually, Pearl became a successful fitness creator, penning notable popular picks akin to Keys To The INNER Universe (1979) and Getting Stronger: Weight Training for Men and Women (1986). In keeping with the caption of the post on Pearl’s Facebook page, Getting Stronger: Weight Training for Men and Women has sold over 850,000 copies so far.
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In 2003, at the side of co-author Kim Scott, Pearl penned his autobiography entitled Beyond The Universe: The Bill Pearl Story. For his tremendous impact on bodybuilding. Pearl was awarded the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.
Here’s a part of what Pearl’s wife needed to say about her late husband’s passing on Facebook:
“All day yesterday, he [Bill Pearl] was fretting about his Facebook page and had me post a few things he had prepared,” Judy Pearl wrote. “He loved to share stories of other people’s triumphs and accomplishments.”
Featured Image: Bill Pearl on Facebook