2022 was a hard year for the bodybuilding world. 💔
Legends from the golden era and young competitors alike were lost, and the tributes poured in from every corner of the sport.
This page is a careful, fact-checked record of those losses. Every name below was checked against reliable reports before it made the list.
Where a cause of death was never publicly disclosed, this list says exactly that. No rumours are repeated here as fact.
Bodybuilders Who Died in 2022: The Verified List
The old version of this page claimed 36 names. That count did not survive checking.
One entry died in 2023, not 2022, and several more could not be verified as 2022 bodybuilding deaths at all, so they were removed. The verified list stands at 20 names.
| Name | Date of death | Age | Cause of death (where publicly disclosed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Forest | 7 January 2022 | 89 | Not publicly disclosed |
| Frank Calta | 18 January 2022 | 75 | COVID-19 complications |
| Ashley Gearhart | 29 January 2022 | 37 | Not publicly disclosed (died in her sleep) |
| Marvin Eder | 1 February 2022 | 90 | Not publicly disclosed |
| Tom Prince | 5 February 2022 | 52 | Cancer |
| Scott Murray | 23 February 2022 | 27 | Heart failure |
| Bostin Loyd | 25 February 2022 | 29 | Aortic dissection |
| Cedric McMillan | 12 April 2022 | 44 | Heart attack (reported) |
| Stacey Cummings | 20 April 2022 | 31 | Not publicly disclosed |
| Eddie Giuliani | 1 May 2022 | 87 | Not publicly disclosed |
| Paul Poloczek | 28 May 2022 | 37 | Not publicly confirmed |
| Ryeley Palfi | 8 June 2022 | 19 | Motorcycle accident |
| Robert Rothrock | 25 June 2022 | 59 | Kidney failure |
| Jerry Ward | July 2022 | 46 | Pulmonary embolism from deep vein thrombosis |
| Bill Pearl | 14 September 2022 | 91 | Parkinson’s disease, as stated by his wife (no official cause declared) |
| Katsuya Kitamura | 12 October 2022 | 36 | Not publicly disclosed |
| Doug Brignole | 13 October 2022 | 62 | COVID-19 with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease |
| Andreas Frey | 20–21 October 2022 | 43 | Not publicly disclosed (died in his sleep) |
| Sergio Fernandez | 2022 | 41 | Shot during a robbery after leaving a gym |
| Ronnie Schweyer | 2022 | 57 | Cancer |
What the Losses Had in Common 🏋️
Heart problems appear again and again in this list, from reported heart attacks to aortic dissection and heart failure.
That pattern is a reminder that a muscular appearance is not proof of heart health, and that regular medical check-ups matter for every athlete.
Not every death here was health-related, though. One young man died in a road accident, and another was killed in a robbery.
Each story is different, and each deserves to be told accurately rather than folded into a single theory about the sport.
A Note on Accuracy
Several names from the old version of this page were corrected during this refresh, including misspelled names and causes that were never confirmed.
Entries that could not be verified as 2022 bodybuilding deaths were removed rather than repeated. The full corrections log sits with this package.
Readers who spot a genuine error are welcome to raise it, so the record can stay honest. 🙏
For more on the sport’s recent losses, see our report on bodybuilder Illia Golem’s death at 36.
And for a reminder of the legends who shaped the sport, read the refreshed Kai Greene biography.
FAQs
How many bodybuilders died in 2022?
Twenty deaths are verified in this fact-checked list. The old page claimed 36, but that count included one 2023 death and entries that could not be verified.
What was the most common cause of death?
Heart-related causes appear most often among the verified entries, including heart attacks, heart failure and aortic dissection.
Several causes were never publicly disclosed, so no exact share can honestly be stated.
Why were some names removed from the old list?
Names were removed when their death could not be verified as a 2022 bodybuilding death, or when the death actually happened in a different year.
Removing them keeps the list a reliable reference instead of a collection of rumours.
Did any famous bodybuilders die in 2022?
Yes. The list includes 2017 Arnold Classic champion Cedric McMillan, four-time Mr. Universe winner Bill Pearl, and golden-era star Eddie Giuliani.
It also includes much younger athletes, such as 19-year-old Ryeley Palfi and 27-year-old Scott Murray.