“She Made Muscles a Thing of Beauty”: Lee Haney, Milos Sarcev Mourns the Devastating Loss of Female Bodybuilding Legend Who Died of Cancer

On February 7, 2023, the bodybuilding community suffered another blow. Tonya Knight, among the forerunners of female professional bodybuilding, died at 56 after losing her battle with cancer. Knight was an accomplished bodybuilder who brought a balanced and aesthetic physique on stage. The former Ms. Olympia competitors also paid attention to posing. Bodybuilding legends like Lee Haney and Milos Sarcev mourned the loss of the former professional bodybuilder on social media. 

The bodybuilding legends and fans of the legendary female bodybuilder mourned her loss. The news of Tonya Knight’s death comes shortly after another female bodybuilder, Amy Richardson, passed away at 49 during the last week of January.

Lee Haney’s heartfelt message for the bodybuilding legend

Shortly after news of Tonya Knight’s passing broke, eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney took to social media to share a heartfelt message. The joint record holder for the most Mr. Olympia wins in history shared a picture of Knight from her prime. “Sorry to hear about the passing of our dear Tonya. She made muscles a thing of Beauty,” the bodybuilding icon captioned the post.

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Another prolific bodybuilder and renowned coach, Milos Sarcev, commented on Lee Haney’s Instagram post. “😔😞 Sincere condolences to her family. RIP Tonya 🙏🏻❤️,” Milos Sarcev wrote on the eight-time Mr. Olympia’s post.

While Tonya Knight didn’t win the Ms. Olympia title, she had a successful career. Knight secured an 11th-place finish on her debut at the NPC USA Championship in 1984. In the years that followed, the bodybuilding pro improved with every consecutive show. Knight placed fourth in the 1988 Ms. Olympia. Despite taking a break because of the drug testing controversy, Knight returned to win the Ms. International competition again in 1991. Her death was first reported by SNBC13.

Not just a professional bodybuilder

After winning the 1991 Ms. International, Knight competed two more times before stepping away from the sport. However, Knight starred in the popular sports game show American Gladiators from 1990 to 1992. She was known as ‘Gold’ in the TV show and was one of the titular ‘Gladiators’ who tried to prevent the contestants from succeeding.

Tony Knight was among the pioneers of female professional bodybuilding. In 2011 the IFFB inducted Knight into the IFBB Pro League Hall of Fame. She also received an award from seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger during the 2018 Arnold Classic.

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The bodybuilding world mourns the passing of Tonya Knight. We at EssentiallySports send our condolences to her friends and family.