Bill Pettis

Bill Pettis (December 23, 1942 - September 27, 2016) was an American competitive bodybuilder.

He was born in Oberlin, Pennsylvania where he spent his childhood along with his brother Bobby, and was the youngest child. In the 1970s, be moved to Los Angeles, became a California citizen, and attended a Gold's Gym and began training. He joined the Muscle Beach movement at Venice Beach in the 1980s and began his career as a bodybuilder.^[1]

Los Angeles Magazine described him having "Biggest Arms in the World" in 1984, and had the biggest biceps of any human being. He also competed in, and was the mascot of the 1984 Olympics that year.^[1]

In 2005, he left Muscle Beach and quit bodybuilding, and became homeless. He wandered the streets of Venice Beach and regularly hung out with locals and tourists while selling pictures of his career.^[2]

Pettis's body, alongside personal belongings, was found by police in Spring Creek, in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, near Harrisburg. An autopsy suggested that he likely drowned accidentally when trying to cross the creek.^[3] A local funeral was held. Arnold Schwarzenegger responded to Pettis's passing, "Bill Pettis was one of my favorite training partners. He had the biggest arms I've ever seen but more importantly, he had the biggest heart. I'm going to miss him." Pettis also was suspected of having age-related illnesses, including dementia. He originally planned on attending a family reunion and had a bus ticket alongside a tin box of the photos he sold.^[4]