1971 Mr America and 3x IFBB Pro title holder Casey Viator has died at the age of 62, on his birthday (September 4th). Viator was found face down at his home in Clearwater, Florida by longtime girlfriend, Cheryl Harris. While an autopsy is imminent, Harris believes his death was the result of a heart attack. According to Harris, Viator had been diagnosed with high blood pressure and early congestive heart disease several years ago and, as of late, he had not seen his cardiologist to renew all his prescriptions. Whether this contributed to his death is unclear at this time.
Viator won the 1970 AAU Mr USA , 1970 AAU Mr America (the youngest ever at age 19), and 3 IFBB Pro contests in 1980 but his most well-known and controversial contest finish was in 1983 when he placed 3rd at the Mr Olympia contest behind eventual winner Chris Dickerson and Frank Zane (2nd). According to girlfriend Harris, “Casey took this loss very personally and never quite recovered emotionally or physically.” Viator retired from competition after the 1983 Olympia; however, in 1995 he entered the IFBB Masters Mr Olympia contest but showed up as a shell of his former 
magnificent self.
While most will remember Viator as a champion bodybuilder, Cheryl Harris remembers her partner as a very down-to-earth man who loved fishing and collecting rare baby finch birds. When asked what sort of a man Casey Viator was, Harris quickly responded, “While Casey could be very stubborn at times, he always told you what he thought. And that was a trait to be admired.”
While I didn’t personally know Casey Viator, I followed his high intensity training methodologies that he learned from Arthur Jones and, in that sense, I feel compelled to credit him with some of the massive gains I enjoyed throughout my career.
Isaac Newton was quoted as saying, “If I have seen further than others, it’s because I stood on the shoulders of giants.” Well, Casey Viator was certainly a giant in the sport of bodybuilding and he helped us all to “see further” and be bigger, better, athletes. The Rx Muscle family sends our condolences out to Casey’s family and friends. He’ll be greatly missed.
Dave Palumbo
