Fitness guru Jack LaLanne dies at 96

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Fitness guru Jack LaLanne ate well and exercised -- and made it his mission to make sure everyone did the same -- right up to the end, friends and family said. LaLanne, seen in this November 2008 photo, died Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011. He was 96.

In this Sept. 26, 2002 file photo, fitness expert Jack LaLanne strikes a characteristic pose as he takes the first official step on his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and his 88th birthday, following dedication ceremonies on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.

In this September 1990 file photo, Jack LaLanne demonstrates at age 75 he still has the strength and body of someone 20 years his junior as his wife, Elaine, looks on at their home in Morro Bay, Calif.

Fitness guru Jack LaLanne, seen in this November 2008 file photo with his wife Elaine. The cause of his death was respiratory failure due to pneumonia, officials said.

In this March 5, 2005 file photo, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, right, jokes around with fitness expert Jack LaLanne after presenting LaLanne with the Schwarzenegger lifetime achievement award at the finals of the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio.

In this Oct. 15, 1979 file photo, Jack LaLanne marks his 65th birthday by towing 65 boats a mile on Japan's Lake Ashinoko near Hakone, southwest of Tokyo.

In this Feb. 20, 1980 file photo, Jack LaLanne pumps iron in the gym in his home in Hollywood, Calif. LaLanne, the fitness guru who inspired television viewers to trim down and pump iron for decades before exercise became a national obsession, has died. He was 96.

Jack LaLanne in an undated handout photo. LaLanne, the fitness guru who inspired television viewers to trim down, eat well and pump iron for decades before diet and exercise became a national obsession, died Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011, at his home in Morro Bay, Calif. He was 96.

In this Nov. 7, 1975 file photo, fitness expert Jack LaLanne, 61, comes out of the chilly water after a successful swim from the Marin County side along the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco. Lalanne made the swim underwater, shackled and handcuffed, while towing a 2,000 pound-laden boat as an additional handicap.

"The only way you can hurt the body is not use it," LaLanne has said. "Inactivity is the killer and, remember, it's never too late."

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Fitness guru Jack LaLanne ate well and exercised -- and made it his mission to make sure everyone did the same -- right up to the end, friends and family said. LaLanne, seen in this November 2008 photo, died Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011. He was 96.

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