Champion Bodybuilder Chad McCrary Dead at 49: 'Just an All-Around Good Man'

McCrary continued bodybuilding after a motocross accident him left paralyzed from the waist down in 2005

Champion bodybuilder Chad McCrary, who continued competing after a 2005 motocross accident left him paralyzed, has died. He was 49.

McCrary's brother, Lance McCrary, shared a video Friday confirming his brother's death, with the caption, "RIP Chad McCrary: April 1, 1974 - January 2, 2024."

Jim McMahon, the CEO of sports fitness brand Mutant, made the announcement in the video and said, "Like everybody, I'm very sad and stunned. It's a hard one."

McMahon continued, "What I'm always going to take away is what we all got to experience," noting the "comradery" that McCrary offered to the bodybuilding community.

"Everything that all of us try to achieve in this life is having good friends and good comradery, so I don't have much to say...just that the heart hurts. That's the simplest way to put it," McMahon added.

The Mutant CEO signed off his video by extending "peace and love to everybody" and thanking McCrary.

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Lance, who shared the video on his account, left two thoughtful comments on McMahon's video. "Jim, my brother was so proud to be part of Mutant nation. He was on top of the world of you when you sponsored him."

In a second comment, Lance wrote, "Chad loved the attitude of Mutant Nation. He was truly a body builder in his Beast mode, his determination was unmatched. Yet he could make you laugh, give good advice. Just an all around good man."

According to his obituary in the Texarkana Gazette, McCrary was a motivational speaker, a licensed aviator through Texarkana College, and a former paramedic for LifeNet and the Red River Army Depot.

A cause of death has not yet been revealed.

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In 2005, McCrary was left paralyzed from the waist down after attempting a 100-foot triple jump during a motocross race, he said in an interview with Wheelchair Bodybuilding.

When asked by the outlet what made him want to compete in a wheelchair, McCrary said, "To try and inspire others."

"I was already involved in bodybuilding and just carried it over to the wheelchair."

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