<section id="cb-ee15c77b5f03800bc6d4c2239be72c07" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em; color: rgb(35, 35, 35); font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 18px;">Franco Columbu, a former Mr. Olympia and one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's closest friends, has died.
</section><section id="cb-d00c8b81133ffe06a07a0bdbbac2ae49" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em; color: rgb(35, 35, 35); font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 18px;">Franco died Friday, with reports out of Italy saying the legendary bodybuilder lost his life in an incident at sea in his native Sardinia.
</section><section id="cb-c4d3a7a8dfbc54050fe1466e69721a47" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em; color: rgb(35, 35, 35); font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 18px;">Arnold said goodbye to Franco with a heartfelt message ... writing, "I love you Franco. I will always remember the joy you brought to my life, the advices you gave me, and the twinkle in your eye that never disappeared. You were my best friend."
<section id="cb-0f465c3212e6a6fe19231b5a0ee2fb28" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em;">Franco won Mr. Olympia way back in 1976, the year after Arnold retired from the famous bodybuilding competition. Franco won again in 1981, the year after Arnold's comeback win.
</section><section id="cb-33508c9b688c67d9dd9c5d1989b17c94" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em;">In addition to his success as a bodybuilder, weightlifter and boxer, Franco also had a long career acting on TV and in movies.
<section id="cb-356adc198c01fc6788b77789aa475db3" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em;">One of Franco's most famous movie moment was in the 1977 documentary, "Pumping Iron" ... when he lifted a car to help the driver escape a tiny parking spot.
</section><section id="cb-31fa68a34ee9c775ef5a10858783fef1" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em;">Franco also appeared in a string of Schwarzenegger movies in the 1980s ... including, "The Terminator," "The Running Man," and "Conan the Barbarian."
<section id="cb-d5f83737d3dd425627706218a9fdc538" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em;">Franco and Arnold met in Munich 54 years ago, and instantly became pals ... in later years, Franco was known as Arnold's squire, and Arnold always told people Franco was the strongest man he ever knew.
</section><section id="cb-ae72f4fc1b7de5c79653a2e81fe27dc1" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em;">Franco is survived by his wife, Deborah, and their daughter, Maria. He was 78.
</section><section id="cb-5952bcce218791c4e1a1c3dc2322aaa4" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-block-is-last " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em;">RIP
</section></section></section></section>
</section><section id="cb-d00c8b81133ffe06a07a0bdbbac2ae49" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em; color: rgb(35, 35, 35); font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 18px;">Franco died Friday, with reports out of Italy saying the legendary bodybuilder lost his life in an incident at sea in his native Sardinia.
</section><section id="cb-c4d3a7a8dfbc54050fe1466e69721a47" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em; color: rgb(35, 35, 35); font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 18px;">Arnold said goodbye to Franco with a heartfelt message ... writing, "I love you Franco. I will always remember the joy you brought to my life, the advices you gave me, and the twinkle in your eye that never disappeared. You were my best friend."
<section id="cb-0f465c3212e6a6fe19231b5a0ee2fb28" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em;">Franco won Mr. Olympia way back in 1976, the year after Arnold retired from the famous bodybuilding competition. Franco won again in 1981, the year after Arnold's comeback win.
</section><section id="cb-33508c9b688c67d9dd9c5d1989b17c94" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em;">In addition to his success as a bodybuilder, weightlifter and boxer, Franco also had a long career acting on TV and in movies.
<section id="cb-356adc198c01fc6788b77789aa475db3" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em;">One of Franco's most famous movie moment was in the 1977 documentary, "Pumping Iron" ... when he lifted a car to help the driver escape a tiny parking spot.
</section><section id="cb-31fa68a34ee9c775ef5a10858783fef1" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em;">Franco also appeared in a string of Schwarzenegger movies in the 1980s ... including, "The Terminator," "The Running Man," and "Conan the Barbarian."
<section id="cb-d5f83737d3dd425627706218a9fdc538" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em;">Franco and Arnold met in Munich 54 years ago, and instantly became pals ... in later years, Franco was known as Arnold's squire, and Arnold always told people Franco was the strongest man he ever knew.
</section><section id="cb-ae72f4fc1b7de5c79653a2e81fe27dc1" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em;">Franco is survived by his wife, Deborah, and their daughter, Maria. He was 78.
</section><section id="cb-5952bcce218791c4e1a1c3dc2322aaa4" class="canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-block-is-last " style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-bottom: 1.125rem; clear: none; word-spacing: 0.141667em;">RIP
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