The Father Of The Fitness Video Game Passes Away

Jack LaLanne, who appeared in a fitness video game long before Nintendo and EA made millions off the genre, has sadly passed away over the weekend at the age of 96.

A noted health club pioneer and TV salesman, LaLanne lent his name (and likeness!) to 1979′s Intellivision title Jack LaLanne’s Physical Conditioning, which you can catch a glimpse of in the clip below (at 4:30).

It may not have looked like much (aside from its amazing cover), but being cassette-based meant the game could include LaLanne’s commentary alongside the crude instructional graphics. If he sounds old, that’s because he was already 65 when this game was released.

Born in 1914, he died of respiratory failure associated with pneumonia.

[via Ian Bogost]