I will always miss you Franco: Arnold Schwarzenegger writes heartfelt tribute to his ‘partner in crime’ Franco Columbu who dies at 78
- The Terminator star pours his heart out as he pays tribute to his best friend and confidant who reportedly drowned while swimming in the sea in Sardinia, Italy
- Arnold and Franco first met in Munich in the early 1960s and were friends for 54 years in one of the most unusual and greatest partnerships in sport
Franco Columbu, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best friend, training partner, confidant and one-time strongman who won the Mr Olympia bodybuilding title twice, has died after drowning while swimming in the sea in Sardinia, Italy according to multiple reports.
Columbu’s death left Schwarzenegger devastated and the Terminator star took to social media to write a heartfelt tribute to his “partner in crime”, closing the final chapter on one of sport’s most unusual and greatest partnerships/friendships.
“I am devastated today. But I am also so, so grateful for the 54 years of friendship and joy we shared,” wrote Schwarzenegger in his Instagram account.
“The pumps [exercise], the chess games, the construction work, the meals, the pranks, the life lessons – we did it all together. We grew and we learned and we loved. My life was more fun, more colourful, and more complete because of you.”
According to Italian media reports, the former Sardinian-born strongman died in the late morning in San Teodoro, a small town in Sardinia, Italy on Thursday as a consequence of “an accident at sea”. Reports could not confirm Columbu’s exact cause of death with some suggesting that he died of a heart attack while other reports said he had drowned. Emergency services airlifted Columbu to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was 78.