Bodybuilder Chad McCrary, Who Continued Competing After Paralyzation, Dead at 49

Bodybuilder Chad McCrary, Who Continued Competing After Paralyzation, Dead at 49

After he began his bodybuilding career in 2000, Chad McCrary suffered a motocross accident in 2005 that broke his spine and paralyzed him from the waist down

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Glenn Garner

Chad Russell McCrary, a bodybuilder who continued competing after a paralyzing accident, has died at age 49. Chad Russell McCrary/Instagram

Chad McCrary, a bodybuilder who competed for more than two decades despite a paralyzing accident, has died. He was 49.

According to the Texarkana Gazette, the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB) pro died on Jan. 4. A service will be held on Friday at Bates Family Funeral Home in De Kalb, Texas, though a cause of death has not yet been made public.

After he began his bodybuilding career in 2000, McCrary suffered a motocross accident in 2005 that broke his spine and paralyzed him from the waist down. Three months later, he continued competing in a wheelchair.

McCrary — who was also a motivational speaker and author of the self-help book, Answering the Call — won multiple National Physique Committee (NPC) shows and competed at Mr. Olympia in 2021. He was also set to compete at the upcoming Arnold Classic in 2024.

The athlete’s sister Lauren Wahl paid tribute to her brother in a statement shared by Evolution of Bodybuilding. “My brother’s mission in life was to reach as many people as possible with his story of overcoming adversity, whether it be through conversation, bodybuilding, public speaking, or his book,” she said.

“I feel privileged to have been someone to witness all that he accomplished and the lives that he touched with his journey,” added Wahl. “I’m so thankful that story will live on through others that he made an impact on. I’m heartbroken that I no longer get to see or talk to him physically, but I find peace in knowing I’ll see him again one day in a much better place.”