(CNN) -- American fitness guru Jack LaLanne died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, California, according to his long-time agent, Rick Hersh. He was 96. The cause, said Hersh, was respiratory failure due to pneumonia. LaLanne had been ill for the past week. His wife, Elaine, was at his side, along with his family and friends, Hersh said. No funeral arrangements were announced, but his agent said plans were being made. LaLanne spent decades talking about the healthful benefits of exercise and fitness. He opened his own health spa in California in 1936, years before the fitness craze swept the United States. LaLanne even designed the world's first leg-extension machine, along with several other pieces of fitness equipment now standard in the fitness industry.
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Fitness guru Jack LaLanne died at his home in California
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LaLanne died due to complications from pneumonia
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LaLanne's workout program was on the air in the U.S. for three decades
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Larry King: "He would go on forever ... a true guru"
But it wasn't simply LaLanne's physical prowess that impressed @placeholder.