Bodybuilding icon Lenny Persin, better known as ‘Big Lenny’, has died at the age of 60 after reportedly suffering from congestive heart failure.
The tragic news was announced by fellow bodybuilder Dave Palumbo in a YouTube video last weekend.
Palumbo said: ‘The great Lenny Persin is no longer with us. He passed away in the last few days, we’re not sure exactly what day.
‘I had been suffering from congestive heart failure for quite some time.
‘Big Lenny was an icon in the sport. He carved out a unique niche for himself, leading a group of bodybuilders who called themselves the Del Rey Misfits.
Bodybuilding icon Lenny Persin, better known as ‘Big Lenny’, has died at the age of 60
Persin was reportedly suffering from congestive heart failure before his tragic passing.
“He was their fearless leader.”
Persin, who last competed at the 2017 NPC Ruby Championship, finishing in second place, became famous on the bodybuilding scene for his eccentric appearance and over-the-top personality.
He also suffered from a condition known as palumboism, a difficulty contracting the abdominal muscles that is usually caused by the use of HGH and insulin, meaning he did not have a conventional bodybuilding look.
While he was reportedly battling heart problems, Persin’s official cause of death has yet to be announced.
In another recent YouTube video, bodybuilding expert Jon Bravo also confirmed Lenny’s death while paying tribute to him.
Bravo said: ‘I had the chance to meet him and he was a gentle giant, you know?
“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 it’s that he lived every day to the fullest and it didn’t matter if he lived in a rundown place.” In his apartment full of cockroaches, dirt and mold, every day he had a smile on his face and every day he found a way to be happy.’
