--- title: "Les Mills, Olympian and Founder of a Global Fitness Empire, Dies at 91" description: "Les Mills, the four-time New Zealand Olympian and three-term Auckland mayor whose name became shorthand for the group-fitness classes performed in gyms across a hundred countries, has died at 91." category: "World" category_url: https://herald.la/category/world author: "Anjali Rao" published: 2026-06-29T11:48:00.000Z updated: 2026-06-29T11:48:00.000Z canonical: https://herald.la/article/les-mills-olympian-and-founder-of-a-global-fitness-empire-dies-at-91 tags: ["Les Mills", "New Zealand", "obituary", "fitness", "Olympics", "Auckland"] --- # Les Mills, Olympian and Founder of a Global Fitness Empire, Dies at 91 Les Mills, the four-time New Zealand Olympian and three-term Auckland mayor whose name became shorthand for the group-fitness classes performed in gyms across a hundred countries, has died at 91. Few people leave a mark on both an Olympic stadium and a suburban gym floor. Les Mills did — and the second turned out to reach further than the first. ## An Auckland life Leslie Roy Mills was born in Auckland on November 1, 1934, and the city defined his life. He died there peacefully on Sunday, June 29, 2026, at 91, [Radio New Zealand reported](https://www.rnz.co.nz/life/people/celebrity/gym-chain-founder-and-olympian-les-mills-snr-has-died); no cause was given. He was predeceased in 2005 by his wife, Colleen, herself a world-class track-and-field athlete, and is survived by his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. ## Four Olympics Mills represented New Zealand at four consecutive Summer Olympics — Rome (1960), Tokyo (1964), Mexico City (1968) and Munich (1972) — in the shot put and discus, and carried his country's flag at the opening ceremony in Rome and again in Munich, [per his record](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Mills). His standout result came at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, where he won gold in the discus and silver in the shot put. His national shot put record stood for 44 years. Later, as a coach, he guided discus thrower Beatrice Faumuina to a world title and Commonwealth gold. ## The gym that became a movement In 1968 he and Colleen opened their first gym in Auckland, [1News reported](https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/06/29/les-mills-former-auckland-mayor-and-fitness-pioneer-dies-at-91/). It grew into a chain across New Zealand — but the global revolution came through the next generation. His son Phillip and daughter-in-law Jackie built Les Mills International, whose choreographed group-fitness programs, including BodyPump and BodyBalance, are licensed to gyms in more than 100 countries. The family was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame in 2022. ## Mayor of Auckland Mills also served as mayor of Auckland City from 1990 to 1998, winning three terms over a period of ambitious civic building. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1973 for services to sport and a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2002 for services to local government and sport. "The common thread throughout — whether in fitness, politics or family life — was that he always wanted to help others," his son Phillip said in a statement, calling his father "a Kiwi icon who blazed a trail." More than half a century after that first Auckland gym, millions of people take a Les Mills class each week, most of them unaware that the name belongs to a New Zealander who threw the discus in four Olympic stadiums and then built something that outlasted the medals. ## Sources - [Gym chain founder, Olympian Les Mills Snr has died](https://www.rnz.co.nz/life/people/celebrity/gym-chain-founder-and-olympian-les-mills-snr-has-died) - [Les Mills, former Auckland mayor and fitness pioneer, dies at 91](https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/06/29/les-mills-former-auckland-mayor-and-fitness-pioneer-dies-at-91/) - [Les Mills (athlete)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Mills)