Champion Bodybuilder Chad McCrary Dead at 49

The bodybuilding world has lost a beloved champion. 

Chad McCrary, a bodybuilder who continued competing after a 2005 motocross accident left him paralyzed from the waist down, died on Jan. 2. He was 49. 

The former bodybuilding champion's brother, Lance McCrary, shared the news on social media by posting a message from Jim McMahon, the CEO of sports fitness brand Mutant, which sponsored Chad. 

"Like everybody, I'm very sad and stunned," Jim said in the Jan. 12 clip. "It's a hard one."

Jim went on to explain the impact Chad had on the athletic community, adding, "What I'm always gonna take away is just what we all got to experience, in our group at least, with him, is just the camaraderie. It's always everything that all of us try to achieve in this life is having good friends and good camaraderie."

"I don't have much to say just the heart hurts," he reiterated towards the end of his statement. "That's the simplest way to put it. Peace and love to everybody. Thanks, Chad." 

Lance responded to Jim's kind words in the post's comments.

"Jim, my brother was so proud to be part of Mutant nation," he wrote. "He was on top of the world of you when you sponsored him."

Speaking on his brother's legacy, Lance added, "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."

His cause of death has not yet been revealed. 

Chad's bodybuilding career faced a crossroads in 2005, when the then-29-year-old attempted a 100-foot triple jump during a motocross race and crashed, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Ultimately, the Texas native chose to continue competing to "try and inspire others."

"I was already involved in bodybuilding and just carried it over to the wheelchair," Chad told Wheelchair Bodybuilding. "Just kept lifting and had to modify most all standing exercises to a seated or lying position."

Chad went on to compete as a wheelchair bodybuilder for more than a decade, earning first place in a number of contests, including the Heart of Texas Heavyweight, Lone Star State and Arnold Classic competitions. 

In addition to bodybuilding, the inspiring athlete worked as a motivational speaker and a paramedic for LifeNet and the Red River Army Depot. He attributed his impressive drive to a desire to always put forth the best version of himself.

"[I want to] show myself and everyone else we don't have to settle or crumble under adversity," he told Wheelchair Bodybuilding. "You can do whatever you apply yourself to do if that's truly what you want to do!"