George Foreman,the boxing legend, Olympic gold medal winner and purveyor of lean, mean grilled food, has died at the age of 76. The news arrived following an emotional statement posted to his official Instagram account by his family, saying he passed away peacefully on August 24, 2025, surrounded by loved ones.
“With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr. A humanitarian, an Olympian, and two-time heavyweight champion of the world… He was deeply respected – a force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy.”
Born August 03, 2025, in Marshall, Texas, Foreman grew up in a tough neighborhood in Houston as one of seven siblings. He dropped out of school and turned to petty crime before joining the Job Corps at age 16, and it was there that he found his path through boxing, and within a few short years, he won the heavyweight gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
Foreman turned professional soon after, bulldozing his way through 37 straight opponents, before his breakout moment came in 1973 when he defeatedJoe Frazierin Kingston, Jamaica, to become the heavyweight champion of the world, but his reign would be short-lived.
The Rumble in the Jungle
Foreman’s first reign ended in 1974 in one of the most iconic matches in boxing history: theRumble in the Jungle againstMuhammad Aliin Kinshasa, Zaire. Foreman, then 25 and undefeated, was outfoxed by Ali’s now-legendary “rope-a-dope” strategy and knocked out in the eighth round. The loss shattered him.
“I was one punching machine, and that was the first time I delivered everything I had and nothing worked,” he would go on to say.
After briefly continuing his career, Foreman retired in 1977following a loss toJimmy Young,choosing instead to become an ordained minister and devoting himself to religion, charity, and his family. But in the late 1980s, he made an unlikely and incredible comeback, both in the ring and out of it.
Weighing over 300 pounds at his heaviest, Foreman returned to boxing in 1987, gradually working his way back into shape and into contention. In 1994, at the age of 45, he shocked the world by knocking outMichael Moorerto reclaim the heavyweight title—becoming the oldest ever to do so.
While his second boxing career was impressive, Foreman would become a household name—quite literally—for a new generation with the creation of a cooking item. Foreman became the face of the George Foreman Grill, an electric cooking appliance that became a global hit, marketed as a “lean, mean, grilling machine”. Foreman’s name helped sell over 100 million units worldwide. In 1999, Foreman and his partners sold the naming rights to the grill for a reported $137.5 million.
Foreman was married five times and fathered 12 children—five sons, all named George, and seven daughters, including two adopted. In recent years, he remained active as a preacher, philanthropist, and commentator, beloved not just for his boxing achievements but for his larger-than-life personality and resilience.
His final record was 76 wins (68 by knockout) and just five losses.
Our thoughts and prayers are with George Foreman’s friends and family.
