George Foreman has died at 76. A two-time heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist, he was also the face behind the George Foreman Grill, which sold millions. His family shared the news on his official Instagram on Friday, March 21.
“Our hearts are broken. 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.
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“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,” the statement read.
From a tough childhood to the boxing ring
He was born in Texas in 1949 and raised in Houston. “I grew up in the Fifth Ward of Houston — the Bloody Fifth, we called it. Every weekend someone got killed,” Foreman told Esquire in 2006.
Money was always tight, and he dropped out of high school at 15, getting mixed up in petty crime. But when he was 16, he joined the Job Corps, got his GED, and learned carpentry and bricklaying. That’s also where he first put on a pair of boxing gloves.
His boxing career began as an accident
“I went into boxing at the age of 17 to lose weight and become a great street fighter,” he told Ringside Report in 2000. “Next thing I know, I was fighting as a Golden Glover. It basically all happened as an accident.”
Winning Olympic gold meant everything to him
At just 19, Foreman won gold at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. “Winning that gold medal at the end, I wanted the whole world to know where I was from, so I picked up a small American flag and paraded around the ring to make sure they knew,” he told On the Ropes in 2023.
“This was my chance to represent my country. That was greater to me than even winning the boxing matches.”
He became world heavyweight champion in 1973
After his Olympic win, Foreman went pro. He fought 13 times in 1969, 12 times in 1970, and by 1971, he was undefeated with 32 wins. That made him the top contender for the heavyweight title.
In 1973, he finally got his shot at Joe Frazier in The Sunshine Showdown — and won by total knockout. “I didn’t fear anyone except Joe Frazier,” he admitted in a 2023 interview with Andscape. “I hoped something would’ve happened to him before I’d ever fight for the title.”
His fight against Muhammad Ali changed everything
Foreman defended his title against José Roman and Ken Norton, but in 1974, he faced Muhammad Ali in The Rumble in the Jungle — one of the biggest fights in history. Ali, the underdog, shocked everyone by beating him.
Over the years, Foreman had mixed feelings about that night — at times even suggesting the fight was rigged. He was also frustrated that they never had a rematch.
“For years afterwards I would agonize, ‘How could this happen?'” he told Vogue Man Arabia in 2019. “That night I lost everything I ever was. It was the most devastating event in my life as an athlete. I was not even a man no more.”
But later, he and Ali became close friends.
He retired, became a preacher, and then made a comeback
Foreman kept fighting for a few more years before retiring in 1977. After a near-death experience in his last match, he became a born-again Christian. But ten years later, struggling financially, he made a surprising return to boxing at 38.
“It was like, I did it once, I’m gonna have to do it again,” he told USA Today in 2023. “It was the only profession I knew. Sometimes I wished I’d been a golfer, it’s much easier than boxing.”
Back on top at 45 years old
Foreman had chances at the title against Evander Holyfield in 1991 and Tommy Morrison in 1993 but lost both. Then, in 1994, he pulled off the impossible — defeating Michael Moorer and becoming champion again at 45.
“When you fight for the heavyweight championship of the world, it does feel unbelievable, it doesn’t feel like you’re really there, it could be a dream,” he told Boxing News in 2023.
The grill that made him a household name
In 1994, Foreman launched the George Foreman Grill, which became a massive success, selling over 100 million units. “My attorney came to me and said, ‘George, you’re making other people wealthy, why don’t you make yourself wealthy?'” Foreman told PEOPLE in 2003. “And he told me about this grill.”
Foreman later revealed he made about $200 million from the grill’s sales and endorsements—far more than he ever earned from boxing. “I was making more money selling grills than I did in the ring, and I loved every second of it,” he told CNBC in 2017.
A big family with one unique tradition
Foreman had 12 children: Natalia, Leola, Michi, Isabella, Courtney, Georgetta, and Freeda (who passed away in 2019), plus five sons — all named George Edward Foreman.
“I named all my sons George Edward Foreman so they would always have something in common,” he wrote on his website.
“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!'” Two of his grandsons also carry the name.
His life story was turned into a movie
In 2023, Foreman’s life hit the big screen with Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World.
The film covered everything from his troubled childhood to his legendary boxing career, his time as a preacher, and even his success with the grill.
“They got so much of it right, but man, watching it all play out was surreal,” he told Variety in 2023. “I lived it, but seeing it on screen made me appreciate the journey even more.”
Foreman’s legacy is complex but undeniable
Foreman popped up on The Masked Singer in 2022 and was an executive producer on Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World in 2023.
But his later years weren’t without controversy — he was accused of child s*xual abuse in 2022, claims he denied.
Foreman is survived by his wife and 11 children. Rest easy, champ.
