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<\/p>\nLes Mills, the New Zealand Olympian who opened an Auckland gym in 1968 that grew into an international group fitness brand, has died aged 91, his family confirmed.<\/p>\n
Mills, a four-time Olympic athlete and former Auckland mayor, and his wife, Colleen, founded the first Les Mills gym on Victoria Street in central Auckland after a sporting career in which he represented New Zealand in shot put and discus.<\/p>\n
More than five decades later, Les Mills workouts are used by clubs around the world.<\/p>\n
The business, now run by later generations of the Mills family, became internationally known for choreographed group-exercise classes set to music.<\/p>\n
Mills’s son, Phillip, joined the business full-time in 1980, and his partner, Jackie, helped develop the music-driven group-fitness model that became central to its global expansion.<\/p>\n
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Les Mills became an international fitness brand.\u00a0 (Supplied: Les Mills)<\/p>\n
Phillip Mills said in a statement that his father had achieved a great deal in his life, but the common thread was that he always wanted to help others.<\/p>\n
“Dad was immensely strong, driven, and always cared deeply for the less advantaged,” he said.<\/p>\n
“He left a lasting impression on everyone he met, and his spirit lives on in gym workouts around the world, continuing to help people fall in love with fitness.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Les Mills was born Leslie Roy Mills in Auckland in 1934.<\/p>\n
He competed at four Olympic Games from 1960 to 1972 and won five Commonwealth Games medals, including discus gold at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica.<\/p>\n
Move into politics<\/p>\n
He later moved into local politics and served as mayor of Auckland from 1990 to 1998.<\/p>\n
Juliet Yates served on Auckland Council during his first term.<\/p>\n