Overview
- Leslie Roy Mills died peacefully at age 91, his family and Les Mills International announced on Monday, June 29, 2026.
- Mills represented New Zealand at four Olympic Games and won five Commonwealth Games medals, including discus gold in 1966, and later coached world champion Beatrice Faumuina.
- He and his wife Colleen opened the first Les Mills gym in Auckland in 1968, a business that evolved into Les Mills International when their son Phillip developed music‑driven, licensed group classes such as BODYPUMP.
- Mills served three terms as Mayor of Auckland from 1990 to 1998 and backed major city projects and waterfront regeneration that shaped the city's modern development.
- The family said the company remains family‑led and worldwide classes taught under the Les Mills licence keep his approach to fitness alive in more than 100 countries, ensuring his influence endures.