“Lost a Dear Dear Friend and Great Partner”: Emotional Arnold Schwarzenegger Mourns the Death of 96-Year-Old Friend

Although Arnold Schwarzenegger managed to build a magnificent legacy for himself, he, fortunately, didn’t have to work alone. Arnold had some friends who stuck around till their last breath and worked with the bodybuilding legend. One of them was the main man behind organizing the Arnold Classic festival – Jim Lorimer. It’s no secret that Arnold and Jim were practically like family. When Jim recently passed away, the bodybuilder took some time to pen a beautiful ode to his friend.

 He recently opened up in an interview and talked about how much Jim meant to him.

Arnold Schwarzenegger gets emotional on thinking of Jim Lorimer

Arnold would never call himself self-made, and he credits Jim for that. Both legends met decades ago at the Mr. World Championship in Ohio and have partnered up ever since. A handshake went a long way, and the duo went on to organize multiple festivals successfully. Arnold had always admired Jim’s ability to seamlessly balance various duties. It seems like the former bodybuilder drew a lot of inspiration from that since he went on to conquer the bodybuilding world, Hollywood, politics, and much more.

In an interview with Nick Miller, Arnold fondly remembered his days with Jim Lorimer. Both Jim and Arnold would share an internal jest where Arnold would call Jim his father figure. However, Jim found that repelling – the idea of a father figure made him feel older.

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Remembering his moments under Jim’s mentorship, Arnold corrected himself when he almost called Jim his father figure. He explained, “he hated when I said that uh, kind of like a father figure because he always felt like it’s more like a brother figure because he felt that was young”. And true to the sentiment, despite being in his 90s, Jim was as active as a young lad.

Jim donned multiple hats in his life

Arnold considered Jim one of his closest confederates since Jim was an expert in many areas. Before the Arnold Sports Festival, Jim had many feathers in his hat. From juggling between being an executive for Nationwide Insurance to being an agent for the FBI, Jim also took time to contribute to sports. In his blog, Arnold remembered how Jim was his first choice when he needed help with organizing the Great American Workout on the White House lawn.

Having founded the Ohio Track Club woman’s team and acting as a chair for the US Olympic Committee for Women’s Sports, Jim’s contributions towards sports are endless. While Lorimer’s contributions are unparalleled, his legacy continues to live on. Arnold and Jim’s partnership lasted a long time, and the fruits of their labor continue to shine in the form of the festival.

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