Francois Henri "Jack" LaLanne (pronounced
/lə'leɪn/ "luh-layn" French /lalan/
"lah-lahn"; September 26, 1914 – January 23, 2011) was an
American fitness, exercise, and nutrition expert and motivational speaker who is sometimes
referred to as the "Godfather of Fitness" and the "First Fitness
Superhero". He
described himself as being a "sugarholic" and a "junk food junkie"
until he was age 15. He also had behavioral problems, but "turned his life
around" after listening to a public lecture about the benefits of good
nutrition by health food pioneer Paul Bragg. During
his career, he came to believe that the country's overall health depended on
the health of its population, and referred to physical
culture and nutrition as "the salvation of America".