TRIBUTE
In Memoriam
SHAWN
PERINE
(1966-2017)
S
ADLY, THE WORLD OF
bodybuilding has been dealt
a devastating blow.
Muscle & Fitness VP and Editorial
Director Shawn Perine has passed
away at the age of 51.
Perine was diagnosed with stage
IV lung cancer on September 22,
2017, and had remained upbeat and
positive throughout his battle.
Perine never drank, smoked, or
used drugs, which made the
diagnosis so unexpected. In fact,
he spent the last 38 years of his
life eating clean, pushing himself
in the gym, and inspiring others
through his commitment to health
and fitness.
For decades—as a fitness
enthusiast, writer, editor, and later
Editor-in-Chief and Chief Content
Director for Muscle & Fitness,
Muscle & Fitness Hers and FLEX
— Perine became one of the most
authoritative voices in our industry.
As a child growing up in Long
Island, NY, Perine’s passion for
the sport of bodybuilding was
fuelled by the 1977 documentary
Pumping Iron. By the age of 13
he was tearing through every
exercise book he could find, and
also hitting the gym five days per
week in hopes of carving a physique
like Arnold Schwarzenegger, who
would later become one of Perine’s
trusted friends.
“Shawn Perine was not only
a fantastic ambassador for the
fitness crusade and a wonderful
editor of Muscle & Fitness, he was
a dear friend and a great man,”
Schwarzenegger tweeted. “I’m
heartbroken, and the world just lost
an amazing force. My thoughts are
with his family and friends.”
Although Perine concluded that
his body wasn’t suited for the stage,
he began to write fervently about
bodybuilding, which led to freelance
work at FLEX magazine in the ‘90s.
Later, his contributions earned him
a full-time position as FLEX’s senior
writer in California.
In 2011, Perine moved from
California back to New York to start
his dream job as Editor-in-Chief of
Muscle & Fitness. His mission was
to “carry the torch lit by Joe Weider”
and work hand-in-hand with AMI
CEO David Pecker to spread the
gospel of health and fitness to
the world.
“Shawn was unquestionably the
finest fitness j