Death of Life Fitness co-founder Augie Nieto

Augie Nieto, co-founder of Life Fitness and Augie's Quest to Cure ALS has died at the age of 65 after a near-two-decade-long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Acknowledged as a fitness industry pioneer, Nieto was the co-founder and retired Chief Executive of Life Fitness, Chairman and co-founder of Augie’s Quest to Cure ALS and Chairman of the ALS Therapy Development Institute.

Nieto founded Lifecycle, producing an exercise bike of the same name in 1977, selling the company to Bally Total Fitness in 1984 before being named President of the combined company, Life Fitness.

In 2001, Nieto became an Operating Advisor for North Castle Partners, serving on the boards of the private equity firm’s investments Curves International, Jenny Craig and HydroMassage.

In addition, he was a former board member of Octane Fitness, Quest Software and DynaVox.

In March 2005, Nieto was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

After diagnosis, he partnered with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and created Augie's Quest with the sole purpose of finding a cure for ALS. Funds he raised went completely to research, as administrative costs were covered by MDA.

In 2014, Augie's Quest officially transitioned from MDA to the ALS Therapy Development Institute, a non-profit biotechnology body and in 2018, Augie's Quest to Cure ALS became a stand-alone non-profit body.

Since 2005, nearly $200 million has been raised by Augie's Quest for ALS research.

Following his death yesterday, a post on social media from Augie’s Quest advised “Augie passed peacefully yesterday surrounded by his beloved wife, Lynne, his family and loved ones.”

Nieto's family subsequently released the following statement in the wake of his death:

“Augie Nieto was our hero.

“He inspired us, made us laugh, and made us cry. He taught us that when life hands you unspeakable challenges, what really matters is surrounding yourself with people who love you, and a cause you believe in. He was passionate about finding a cure for ALS, and we are proud to be ‘Augie’s team’.”

As of 2019, Life Fitness had the largest global installed base of equipment with approximately two million pieces of cardiovascular and strength equipment used regularly by more than 60 million people worldwide.

Images: Augie Nieto with his wife Lynne (top) and canoeing in Vietnam prior to his ALS diagnosis (below). Credit: Augie's Quest.