John Meadows World Famous Bodybuilder Dead Unexpectedly at 49
Man. This one hurts.
John Meadows, better known as Mountain Dog in the bodybuilding world, passed away unexpectedly on August 8th 2021 at his home in Pickerington Ohio. He was only 49 years old.
His wife Mary confirmed the news through a statement posted on his Facebook page. Said he passed peacefully in his sleep. Reportedly from a pulmonary embolism – a blood clot that traveled to his lungs.
If you followed bodybuilding at all in the last decade you knew John. Not just because of his physique but because of what he represented. The guy overcame more health problems than most people face in a lifetime and still managed to become an IFBB Pro and one of the most respected coaches in the sport.
Let me give you some context here.
In 2005 Meadows was diagnosed with a rare colon disease called Idiopathic Myointimal Hyperplasia of the Mesenteric Veins. His colon literally burst. If he hadnt already been in the hospital when it happened he wouldve died right there. They had to remove his entire colon.
Most people wouldve called it quits. John recovered and went right back to competing.
Then in May 2020 he had a heart attack caused by blood clots. Doctors found two massive clots in his arteries. He shared the whole experience on YouTube because thats the kind of guy he was – transparent about everything even the scary stuff. He recovered from that too.
Eighteen months later the clots finally took him.
The tributes from the bodybuilding community have been overwhelming. Shaun Clarida, the 212 Olympia champion who John coached to that title, posted that he was decimated by the news. Fouad Abiad called him a close friend and mentor.
What made John special wasnt just the bodybuilding. It was his approach to the whole thing. The guy invented exercises – the Meadows Row is named after him. He started Granite Supplements. He coached dozens of pros. Athletes across combat sports have dealt with similar sudden losses. It never gets easier.
John competed in his first show at 13 years old. Came dead last in the teen category. Spent the next 30+ years proving everyone wrong.
A GoFundMe started by Jeff Cavaliere raised over $189,000 for Mary and the boys within days of Johns passing.
Rest in peace Mountain Dog.
Source: BarBend
