Josef Edwin “Joe” Weider (November 29, 1920 – March 23, 2013) was the co-founder of the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB) along with brother Ben Weider and creator of the Mr. Olympia, the Ms. Olympia and the Masters Olympia bodybuilding contests. He was the publisher of several bodybuilding and fitness-related magazines, most notably Muscle & Fitness, Flex, Men’s Fitness and Shape, and the manufacturer of a line of fitness equipment and fitness supplements. In 1995, he appeared in the Charlton Heston and Peter Graves film, America: A Call to Greatness, directed by Warren Chaney.
Joe Weider created Weider Nutrition in 1940, considered the first sports nutrition company. Now called Schiff Nutrition International, they were the creators of Tiger’s Milk nutrition bars and related products, one of the earliest lines of sports foods.
On Labor Day 2006, California governor and seven times Mr. Olympia winner Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Weider protégé, presented him with the Venice Muscle Beach Hall of Fame’s Lifetime Achievement award. Schwarzenegger credited Weider with inspiring him to enter bodybuilding and to come to the United States.
Joe Weider cause of death
Joe Weider died of heart failure on March 23, 2013 at his home in Los Angeles, California. Joe Weider was 92 years old at the time of his death. He is survived by his wife Betty.