Celebrity fitness trainer and bodybuilder Amanda “Mandy” Blank died on Monday, October 29, Us Weekly confirms. She was 42.
The Los Angeles coroner’s office tells Us that Blank was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:06 p.m. TMZ reported that she was found in her bathtub at home, and her housekeeper called 911.
According to the website, no drugs or alcohol were discovered at the scene, and there were no suspicious circumstances. An autopsy and toxicology report have been scheduled to determine the cause of death.
“I’m absolutely shocked, for sure,” Blank’s friend and fellow fitness star Annette Milbers told the New York Daily News on Wednesday, October 31. “We messaged last week. She always made other people feel great, and she had reached out to me because I competed. She said how proud she was.”
Milbers, who said she knew Blank for more than 15 years, told the newspaper, “She was such a passionate, kind person. Her purpose was always to express love through body movement. She was a very unpretentious person, which can be rare in our industry. She was all about connecting with people on whatever level they were on.”
Blank started her fitness career at the age of 18. A year later, she finished in fifth place in the World Fitness Olympia competition. She went on to become the youngest competitor to win the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) World Championships in 1998.
In more recent years, Blank worked as a trainer to the stars. Her A-list clients included Alex Rodriguez, Marcus Allen, Jordana Brewster and Mickey Rourke, according to her website.
Us Weekly has reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for comment.
