Franco Columbu Death
Franco passed away on August 30, 2019 at the age of 78 in San Teodoro, Sardinia, Italy. Franco's cause of death was heart attack.
When did Franco Columbu die?
August 30, 2019How did Franco Columbu die? What was the cause of death?
Heart attackHow old was Franco Columbu when died?
78Where did Franco Columbu die? What was the location of death?
San Teodoro, Sardinia, Italy
Franco Columbu Birthday and Date of Death
Franco Columbu was born on August 2, 1941 and died on August 30, 2019. Franco was 78 years old at the time of death.
Birthday: August 2, 1941
Date of Death: August 30, 2019
Age at Death: 78
Franco Columbu - Biography
Franco Columbu (born August 7, 1941) is an Italian actor, author, former champion bodybuilder and World's Strongest Man competitor.
From 1969 until some years later Columbu was considered to have been one of the strongest men in the world. He held a number of powerlifting world records. He performed a strongman act of breaking a hot water bottle by inflating it orally, lifting vehicles onstage while another performer changed a tire, and deadlifted over 320 kg (700 lbs).
In 1977, Columbu competed in the first World's Strongest Man competition, placing fifth in overall points; a remarkable outing, considering Franco weighed much less than the other competitors. He was forced to drop from competition due to an injury. While leading the "refrigerator race", a downhill race while wearing a heavy, unwieldy refrigerator strapped to the racer's back, Franco stumbled and collapsed with a grotesquely dislocated leg, which was aired on national television. After a court settlement, he received a reported $1 million in compensation for his injury.
Columbu's television appearances included the "Dead Lift" episode from the series The Streets of San Francisco (originally broadcast on 5 May 1977), in which Arnold Schwarzenegger has a prominent role (Colombu plays himself – announced as "from Trieste, Italy: Franco Columbu – in a fictitious "SFBBA Mr. San Francisco" bodybuilding contest near the end – alongside Robby Robinson, Ed Corney and other top athletes of the era – where an inexperienced and anger prone "Joseph Schmidt" – Schwarzenegger – places 2nd, then wins an arm wrestling fight in a bar), and TV commercials, most notably Vitalis ("the pump"). In the 1993 film Last Action Hero starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the words "A Franco Columbu film" appear on the opening credits of Jack Slater IV (a film within the film) as a tribute to Columbu, although he does not actually appear on screen. The "Columbu Terminator" features as a boss character in the Terminator 3 video game.
