Champion Bodybuilder Chad McCrary Dead at 49

Chad McCrary, a champion bodybuilder has died at 49.

He was left paralyzed following a 2005 motocross accident but that didn’t stop him from competing in Wheelchair Bodybuilding tournaments.

His brother, Lance McCrary shared the sad news on Friday with the Instagram caption, “RIP Chad McCrary: April 1, 1974 – January 2, 2024.”

Jim McMahon, the CEO of Mutant, a sports fitness brand posted a video remembering Chad, “Like everybody, I’m very sad and stunned. It’s a hard one. What I’m always going to take away is what we all got to experience,” noting the “camaraderie” that McCrary offered to the bodybuilding community.

He continued, “Everything that all of us try to achieve in this life is having good friends and good camaraderie, so I don’t have much to say…just that the heart hurts. That’s the simplest way to put it.”

“Peace and love to everybody,” Jim ended his video with.

Lance commented on the post, writing, “Chad loved the attitude of Mutant Nation. He was truly a body builder in his Beast mode, his determination was unmatched. Yet he could make you laugh, give good advice. Just an all around good man.”

Chad was a motivational speaker, a licensed aviator through Texarkana College and a former paramedic for LifeNet and Red River Army Depot, according to his obituary that was published in the Texarkana Gazette.

His daughter of death has not yet been revealed.

The late bodybuilder was paralyzed after trying to accomplish a 100-foot triple jump during a motocross race, he told Wheelchair Bodybuilding. He shared that his passion stemmed from already being involved in bodybuilding and carrying it over to the wheelchair following his accident.

When asked by the outlet about his motivation, Chad shared, “I think to just be the best I can be and show myself and everyone else we don’t have to settle or crumble under adversity. You can do whatever you apply yourself to do if that’s truly what you want to do!!!!!”