Los Angeles: Former heavyweight champion George Foreman, who lost to Muhammad Ali in boxing's iconic 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle" before reclaiming the title two decades later, died Friday aged 76, his family said.
Fondly known as Big George, Foreman dropped out of school as a teenager and went on to become an Olympic champion and later a legend of boxing.
He fought 81 times as a professional, winning 76, 68 of those by knockout.
As well as boxing he put his name to the "George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine," appearing smiling and friendly in the TV ads, becoming a celebrity outside the sport.
"With profound sorrow we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr, who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones," Foreman's family said in a statement on Instagram.
"We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers, and kindly ask for privacy as we honor the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own.
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Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum saluted Foreman as "one of the biggest punchers and personalities the sport has ever seen."
Born in Texas on January 10, 1949, Foreman grew up in Houston.
The man who raised him was frequently absent and often drunk.
Foreman only found out that J. D. Foreman was not his biological father after he won the world heavyweight title when his real father, .
