“I Will Miss Him”: Heartbroken Arnold Schwarzenegger Mourns the Devastating Loss of His Dear Friend at 89

It takes an artist to seize moments of significance in the space-time continuum. Taking nothing away from the bodybuilding icon Arnold Schwarzenegger, it is inevitable that his mortal being will soon sink into the gloomy past as is the law of nature. However, the Austrian Oak’s breakthrough moment was forever immortalized by the hands of a sculptor in the form of an 8-feet tall statue of Arnie in all his muscular glory. 

Ohio, Columbus continues to hold a special place for the Terminator. The moment captured in the statue refers to the after-moments when Arnie had won the 1970 Mr. World competition and heartily posed for the city crowds, held at the Franklin County Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

Thus began a long-term association of the young bodybuilding prodigy with the event’s organizer Jim Lorimer, and together they created the world’s second-biggest bodybuilding competition, the Anrold Festival in 1989. A single moment in history crafted by the artistic skills of Ralph Crawford was the beginning of a cascade of positive developments in the sport. The legends first met almost a decade later.    

From Arnold Schwarzenegger to Joe Weider, Ralph Crawford’s pivotal role in immortalizing significant moments of sports history

Although the statue was unveiled in 2012, an incident from 1979 brought Schwarzenegger and Crawford together. In 1979, Ralph Crawford’s infamous creation of pro bodybuilding Joe Weider appeared on the cover of Weider’s magazine called Muscle Builder. What that transpired into was a call from Arnie. When interviewed by Ohio Magazine, Crawford recalled, “Arnold saw it and wanted to know how to get a hold of me.”

Schwarzenegger expressed his pride in Crawford’s artistry and requested Crawford to create a small statue in his image to give out as trophies for the prestigious bodybuilding competitions held in Arnold Classic. Over the years, the two stayed in touch, and in 2011, Arnie reached out again. Only this time, Crawford was setting him up for tasks that were of grander proportions. 

“That was about an 8-foot one, with a 12-inch base,” Crawford said. Crawford had to create two versions of the same statue. One casting was for a museum dedicated to Schwarzenegger in Graz, Austria.

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The second one was to be housed in Ohio. It was a 600-pound gift from United States Sports Academy Board of Visitors chairman Dr. Robert Goldman to honor Schwarzenegger. Originally housed outside Franklin County Veterans Memorial Auditorium in 2012, the sculpture was relocated to its current home outside the convention center two years later.  

“We named that piece, the 8-foot statue, ‘The Arnold Classic,’ ” said Crawford. “He basically owned that pose. … It was a fantastic, very artistic pose. I knew it would be fun to do.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger believes “he will live on”

The 75-year-old pro shared a heartbreaking update on Twitter that once again relates to the bodybuilding community. “Ralph Crawford was a great artist and a fantastic friend, and I will miss him. 

“We will continue to give the best bodybuilder in the world the trophy that Ralph sculpted at the Arnold Classic every year,” the Austrian Oak thoughtfully added. “My thoughts are with his family.”

The post archives pictures of his sculptures. It gave fans a glimpse into his esteemed works of art. Likewise, another notable personality’s passing away from the bodybuilding community shocked the sphere.

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