Ben Weider
Ben, who has died in 2008 aged 85, formed the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB). "But his great obsession was Napoleon. In 1978, he and a Swedish dentist and poison expert, Sten Forshufvud, published Assassination at St Helena, and he followed up with the bestselling The Murder of Napoleon (with David Hapgood) in 1982. Though his principal thesis has not been not universally accepted, his tenacious approach to research and his investigative skills won him many plaudits. In 1998, he was made an honorary chief inspector of the Montreal police department; the former police chief Jacques Duchesneau called him "the greatest detective I ever met", and in 2000 he was awarded the Légion d'honneur for his research into Napoleon's death. Weider also wrote a biography of Louis Cyr, the Quebec strongman, and, last year, with General Michel Franceschi, published The Wars Against Napoleon." His fitness "magazines expanded along with their business, eventually including Flex, Muscle & Fitness, Men's Fitness, and even Fit Pregnancy. The magazines were sold in 2003 to American Media." [1]
