Photo: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Cedric McMillan, a bodybuilding champion and winner of the 2017 Arnold Classic, died Tuesday at age 44.
“We regret to inform you that our friend and brother @cedricmcmillan passed away today,” the company said in astatement.
“Cedric will be greatly missed as an athlete, comrade, friend, and father. Our prayers are with all his family and friends. He ‘fought the good fight’ and now he rests,” the company added.
Black Skull USA did not disclose the cause or circumstances of McMillan’s death.
“Our entire family at the Arnold Sports Festival is heartbroken to learn of the passing of 2017 Arnold Classic Champion Cedric McMillan,” the festival said.
Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty
The organization said McMillan was a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army and achieved the rank of sergeant first class. It was what he was “most proud of,” they said.
“Above all, Cedric McMillan was a husband and a father, and we send our most heartfelt condolences to his family during this incredibly difficult time,” representatives of the Arnold Sports Festival said.
According toGeneration Iron, McMillan previously said he struggled with a bout of COVID-19 last July that caused him to lose 30 pounds of body weight.
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“But I didn’t see no white light. I don’t know if I was that close but looking at me from the outside — I was that close,” he explained.
McMillan went on to guest pose at several bodybuilding events as he looked to return to the circuit, according toGeneration Iron.
“I just want to give a shout to this little kid, he’s 8 years old, and he’s at home, laying on the floor of his living room, watchingConan the Barbarian,” he explained. “He turned around and he looked at his mama and he said, ‘I want to be a muscleman when I grow up.'”
source: people.com
