The 91-year-old legend of the fitness industry, Olympian and former mayor took a turn on Sunday. His family gathered to say goodbye, shortly later he had died.
Former Olympian and founder of Les Mills gyms, Les Mills Snr, was doing well up until this year, then took a sudden turn on Sunday, his son Phillip Mills says.
“We went around and sort of said our goodbyes, not expecting him to go immediately. But he passed away peacefully at 3.30 in the morning,” Phillip told RNZ's Afternoons.
Phillip released a statement announcing his father’s death at the age of 91 on Monday morning. He told RNZ’s Afternoons his dad had a dignified death.
Mills Snr, with his wife Colleen, founded Les Mills gyms in 1986. There are currently 12 Les Mills gyms around New Zealand. On the back of the gyms, Les Mills International group training was started by their son, Phillip, and his partner, Jackie. The peppy fitness classes set to music, like BodyAttack, BodyPump and BodyBalance, have been picked up in over 100 countries.
Mills Snr represented New Zealand at four Olympic Games, competing in shot put and discus. He won Commonwealth Games gold, three silver medals and one bronze.
“To the family, we will remember him as a person of immense strength but gentleness, a guy with great humour and quick wit and [who] loved a joke and a guy who was fun to grow up with,” Phillip said.
Always wanted to help others’
Les Mills Snr represented New Zealand in discus and shot put. Supplied
Phillip also paid tribute to his father’s “wild” and varied career, from fitness to politics and family life; Mills Snr “always wanted to help others”.
“Dad was immensely strong, driven, and always cared deeply for the less advantaged. He left a lasting impression on everyone he met, and his spirit lives on in gym workouts around the world, continuing to help people fall in love with fitness,” Phillip Mills’ statement read.
The first gym they opened to the public, in 1968, was based on the idea of elite athlete training and didn’t end up doing so well, he said. It wasn’t until they opened a gym near Auckland's Victoria Park – which remains today – that things took off, especially with the rising interest in aerobics.
Les Mills Snr and his wife Colleen founded the Les Mills chain of gyms. Supplied
His dad had a natural drive for athletics, he said. With Mills Snr’s father dying when he was 11, he had to “toughen up” to look after the family, Phillip said.
“If you look back at the family photos, they are immensely strong.”
Mills Snr served three terms as Mayor of Auckland City in the 1990s.
“He came from a different age,” Phillip said. “It wasn’t an age where people were polarised like they were today. I think he saw the gym as a place where people could come and find refuge, could improve their lives and get healthier and find community and all those nice things, and I think he would’ve liked to have seen a little bit more of that in the world today.”
Les Mills Snr served three terms as Mayor of Auckland City in the 1990s. Supplied
Juliet Yates served on Auckland Council during Mills' first term. She described him as a person who brought others together.
"He was a very, very pleasant person to work with," she said.
"He was really good at bringing people together and achieving things for the benefit of the city. At the time, I think the achievements of the council he was mayor of were benefiting the whole of the city."
In 2002, he was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to local government and sport. In 2022, Mills Snr, Phillip and Jackie Mills, were inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.
Colleen died in 2005. Les Mills Snr is survived by his children, Phillip and Donna, daughter-in-law Jackie, grandchildren Diana, Les Jr, Gabriel and Moana, plus many great-grandchildren.
-RNZ
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