George Foreman, American boxing legend and entrepreneur, dies at 76

George Foreman, heavyweight boxing icon and business entrepreneur, died on Friday night.

He was 76 years old.

The International Boxing Hall of Famer’s family announced the news on his Instagram page.

“Our hearts are broken,” the caption read on the post. “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. A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose.”

Born in Marshall, Texas in 1949, Foreman, who admittedly was a bully in his youth, joined the Job Corps at 16 years old before turning to boxing at 17.

He made his first major stamp on the boxing world as a 19-year-old at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics when he won the heavyweight gold medal against Soviet fighter Jonas Cepulis.

In 2012, Foreman reminisced about the win and how “afraid” he was at the time of the fight after accumulating fewer than two dozen amateur fights before the Olympics.

“When I look back at the fight, all I can remember was how afraid I was,” he told the BBC. “Chepulis was representing another ‘superpower’. I didn’t have the confidence that people thought I had.

“I wanted to win gold but didn’t expect anything like that to happen in my life. But I was told to jab, jab, jab. With my jabs and other wild punches, there was no way to stop me. … The left jab was my number one punch — I still think it was the best punch in boxing.”

One year after his gold medal win, the fearsome and intimidating Foreman took up professional boxing, embarking on a legendary career that saw him accumulate a 76-5 record with 68 wins by knockout.

In 1973, he won his first of two heavyweight champions when he knocked out Joe Frazier — the heavyweight gold medalist in 1964 — during a bout in Jamaica.

Foreman lost the title one year later in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle” against Muhammad Ali in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

In 1977 after a defeat at the hands of Jimmy Young in a fight in Puerto Rico, Foreman suffered from exhaustion and heatstroke in what he called a near-death experience.

He stepped away from boxing for a decade and returned to Texas.

His life took a complete 180-degree turn as he became an ordained minister, and, in 1984, founded the George Foreman Youth and Community Center.

In 1987, Foreman returned to boxing, and in 1994 at the age of 45, 20 years after he lost a title to Ali, he was back on top after defeating Michael Moorer for his second heavyweight title.

“Anything you desire, you can make happen,” Foreman said after that fight. “It’s like the song, ‘When you wish upon a star your dreams come true.’ Well, look at me tonight.”

In 1997, he retired for good, but at the time, he had already reinvented himself as a gregarious pitchman endorsing various products, the most famous of which was the George Foreman Grill line, which earned him millions.

Foreman also made a number of television appearances in his life, including on a 1975 episode of “The Six Million Dollar Man” and, most recently, on “The Masked Singer” in 2022.

He had 12 children, and all five of his sons were named George.

“I named all my sons George Edward Foreman so they would always have something in common. I say to them, ‘If one of us goes up, then we all go up together, and if one goes down, we all go down together,’ ” Foreman wrote on his website.

With his life spanning across sports and pop culture, people from across the spectrum were saddened by the legend’s death.

Tributes pour in

“Condolences to George Foreman’s family,” Mike Tyson wrote on X after the news of Foreman’s death broke. “His contribution to boxing and beyond will never be forgotten.”

“Rest in peace, George Foreman. Your legacy lives on, champ,” NBA legend Scottie Pippen wrote.

“Legendary boxing champion, life-changing preacher, husband, father, grand- and great-grandfather and the best friend you could have,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman wrote on his social media. “His memory is now eternal, may Big George rest in peace.”

“Condolences to the family of George Foreman,” wrote actor William Shatner.

“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,” Foreman’s family wrote in their statement.