The sports world is in mourning with the news that a beloved bodybuilding legend has died at the age of 60.
As the New York Post reports, news broke last week that Lenny Persin, affectionately known as “Big Lenny,” passed away after a battle with congestive heart failure.
Word of Persin's death began to spread as a result of a YouTube video post from Dave Palumbo, a fellow figure in the bodybuilding world.
“Big Lenny Persin is no longer with us,” Palumbo said, according to The Sun. “He passed over the last couple days, we're not really sure exactly what day.”
Offering some insight as to the cause of his colleague's death, Palumbo noted, “He was suffering from congestive heart failure for quite some time now.”
Paying tribute to the late athlete, Palumbo stated, “Big Lenny was an icon in the sport. He carved out a unique niche for himself, leading a group of bodybuilders who went by the name of the Del Rey Misfits.”
Persin was, according to Palumbo, the group's “fearless leader.”
Well-known for his outgoing and gregarious personality as well as for his unusual physical features that included a notably protruding midsection, Persin had no trouble making a name for himself within the bodybuilding community.
Persin took second place in the 2017 NPB Ruby Championship, the most recent competition in which he was involved.
Those acquainted with him professionally recalled his commitment to being the largest competitor on any stage and marveled at his unorthodox approach to the sport and unfailingly unfiltered communication style.
Persin never shied away from sharing his takes on fitness, bodybuilding, and philosophy in a frank, attention-grabbing manner, something friends and fellow athletes now recall with great fondness.
Amid the sad news of Persin's death, tributes for the bodybuilder have begun to pour in, including from industry figure Jon Bravo, who noted, “I had a chance to know him, and he was a gentle giant, you know.”
Bravo went on, “One of the biggest guys, the biggest guy in the room and, you know, if there's one thing we can all learn from Big Lenny is that he lived each day to the fullest and it didn't matter if he lived in a rundown apartment filled with roaches and dirt and mould, each day, he had a smile on his face and each day he found a way to make himself happy.”
Another social media user appeared to co-sign those sentiments, commenting on Persin's death by remarking simply and succinctly, “Now this is heartbreaking because that big gentle giant meant no ill will toward anyone that he might offend,” and that is a modest -- yet profound -- legacy of which anyone could be proud.
