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Legendary bodybuilder Chris Dickerson, who made history as the first-ever Black Mr. America, died on Dec. 23, according to multiple outlets. He was 82.
Dickerson died at a hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after struggling with a heart ailment, his friend Bill Neylon said, theWashington Postreported.
Neylon told the outlet that the bodybuilder had broken his hip in 2020, and also experienced a heart attack and contracted COVID-19. He was living in a Fort Lauderdale rehab center prior to his death, Neylon said.
Dickerson blazed many trails throughout his career, including becoming the first openly gay Mr. Olympia, a men’s professional bodybuilding contest, in 1982. Throughout his lengthy career, Dickerson amassed 50 titles, including wins at International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Grand Prix competitions in multiple states, thePostsaid.
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“He brought class and dignity and culture to bodybuilding,” Neylon toldThe New York Times.
Samir Bannout, a close friend and rival of Dickerson, also praised him in a phone interview with theTimes.
“He was masterful,” said Bannout, a fellow Mr. Olympia champion, winning in 1983. “He had more confidence than anyone out there.”
“Some people like flashy cars, some like flashy hairdos; we like healthy bodies,” said Dickerson once per thePost. “Everybody’s got their own thing, and ours is no funnier than anybody else.”
source: people.com
