Actress Jane Russell sings "Happy Birthday" to physical fitness expert Jack LaLanne during the dedication of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and his 88th birthday, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2002, in Los Angeles. LaLanne opened his first gym in 1936, and in the decades that followed turned his passion for fitness into a life-long career.

In the early 1950s, Jack LaLanne took his message of health and fitness to the then-new medium of television, and his "The Jack LaLanne Show" was broadcast continuously for 34 years. He also designed the first leg extension machines, pulley machines using cables, and weight selectors, which are now standard in the fitness industry.

In 1954, Jack LaLanne set a world record by swimming the length of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, entirely underwater while towing 140 pounds of equipment including air tanks. On Nov. 6, 1975, he performed the feat again, seen here, but this time he was also shackled and towed a 1,000-pound boat.

American physical fitness buff and showman Jack LaLanne marks his 65th birthday, Oct. 15, 1979, by towing 65 boats a mile on Japan's Lake Ashinoko, near Hakone, southwest of Tokyo. A spokesman for the bizarre birthday celebration said LaLanne was shackled as he pulled the boats, which contained 6,500 pounds of wood pulp.

American fitness expert Jack LaLanne is seen here in an 1980 photo. Born in San Francisco in 1914, LaLanne said that as a child he was addicted to sugar and junk food. At age 15, he heard nutritionist Paul Bragg give a talk, and was inspired to change his diet and exercise habits.

Jack LaLanne flexes his muscles in a 1981 photo. In addition to his line of gyms (which were eventually sold to the Bally company and became Bally Total Fitness) and his successful television show, LaLanne has also published books, created fitness videos and marketed exercise equipment and vitamin supplements.

Jack LaLanne and his wife, Elaine LaLanne, are seen in a 1990 photo. The two have been married since 1959 and live in Morro Bay, Calif.

Jack LaLanne, seen here ina 1992 photo, was an inaugural inductee into the National Fitness Hall of Fame in 2005 and was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2008 in a ceremony presided over by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and first lady Maria Shriver.

Jack LaLanne, seen here receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on his 88th birthday in 2002, still remains active in his 90s (he turned 95 on Sept. 26, 2009), noting on his Web site that he continues to work out every morning for two hours, spending an hour and a half in the weight room and half an hour swimming.