Joe Weider, a pioneering figure in the world of bodybuilding and founder of several fitness magazines including Muscle and Fitness, Flex, Men's Fitness and Shape, died March 23, 2013 at age 93.

Weider started producing his first mag, Your Physique, in Montreal in the 1940s. According to a story in Muscle and Fitness, he wrote every article in the first issue by himself using pseudonyms. "Beneath a sheet draped over him and illuminated via flashlight, he pecked at a rented typewriter with his index finger…He cranked out the pages on a rented mimeograph machine and spread the wet paper around the house to dry."

Robert Kennedy Publishing's Tosca Reno wrote on the MuscleMag website Saturday that her late husband Robert Kennedy, who passed away in 2012, shared a friendly rivalry with Weider over the years, "vying for dominance on the newsstand and in subscriptions." RKP publishes fitness mags including MuscleMag International, Oxygen and Clean Eating.

Reno recounts an encounter between the two at an event celebrating the life of fitness guru Jack LaLane. "[Robert] leaned down to Joe, who was seated at the table, gripped Joe’s hands firmly and made a pact to put out another magazine together. Bob challenged Joe to put up the money and Bob said he would create it. It would be a magazine about the legends. Joe gave a laugh as only Joe could and agreed that yes, they would get right on it. The two publishing icons laughed out loud for a time holding each other’s hands. No one knew then that Robert would be the next to go and Joe himself would join him today."

At Bodybuilding.com, Jeff O'Connell, former editor-in-chief at Muscle and Fitness, reminisces that there was a time when "taking up fitness meant picking up one of Joe's magazines, buying one of Joe's weight sets for your garage, and purchasing some of Joe's supplements."

Muscle-Insider honours Weider by recounting the famous "10 Predictions" he made in the July 1950 issue of Your Physique, including "that the principles of good bodybuilding—which include a balanced diet, adequate sleep, plenty of fresh air, ample sunshine and regular workouts—will become basic principles of living."

Weider sold his publication company, which employed 400 people and published seven magazines, to American Media Inc. in 2002. The New York Times said the $350 million deal was the largest magazine transaction that year.