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Dennis Tinerino, RIP May 7, 2010
I pulled the following from Dave’s newsletter this afternoon; Dave and Dennis were friends for over 40 years, sharing their bodybuilding careers, a lot of laughter and eventually their love of God.
The sadness, the pain, the irony, the stone cold truth and sudden reality cuts deep. We lost a beloved brother, bombers. Dennis Tinerino, left us Friday morning, the 7th day of May. None of death’s details are joyful, but most of this man’s life was. Shoulders a yard wide and a personality to match, he stood in my house in Playa Del Rey 40-some years ago as we laughed ourselves silly over nothing, like guys do when they’re in their mid-20s, from the east coast, eat iron for lunch and their muscles are piled up around their ears.
He introduced me as a poet to his buds from NYC and wanted me to make a preposterous desk and chair for his office. Neither of us knew what a poet was, but we were good at preposterous and he got what he wanted before the late-60’s summer sun went down.
Remember the ’60s? A lot of us do and have the scars to prove it.
Dennis grew into a real live preacher man in the emerging decade and spread the Good Word for most of his life through his ministry, Dennis Tinerino Ministries. He and his wife, Anita, and their daughters, Taka and Marissa, and son Dennis-John, together held firm to the same tight rope all their years in the tug-of-war that is life. They never let go.
Golden Age Mr. America and Mr. Universe, Hall of Famer and beautiful guy. We love you Dennis; we miss you—rest in God’s Glory.
He was a terrific guy, full of life and humor and love of God. His was a story of the toughness of an Italian from Brooklyn in the ’50s, the competitiveness of a multi-sport athlete who became a four-time Mr. Universe, leading to a time of crime and prison, where he was reunited with his faith. It’s a wonderful story of a passionate man.
This is how I think of Dennis, the photo below that I shot in the early ’90s… full of joy. But you see Lee Labrada there on the right, how Dennis has cracked him up almost uncontrollably? In that shot of Lee, we see a reflection of Dennis; we see a guy we’d like to be, one who can provide so much pleasure for a friend.
Dennis’ competitive career spanned nearly 20 years, beginning in Brooklyn in 1964 and ending with his fourth Mr. Universe title in 1981. You’ll find a list of his competitive events and the 26 magazine covers on which he appeared here at MuscleMemory.
Dennis Tinerino & Frank Zane
In this 1967 Strength & Health article, Dennis tells of his Mr. America win, carrying his silver trophy home to New York, reminiscing about his training with Joe Abbenda. Joe was Dennis’ earliest influence, and was instrumental in his career, helping him grow from an athletic 185 pounds to his competitive weight of around 225. During that time, he was a skilled fencer, and also competed in Olympic weightlifting.
Listen to Dennis preach—you can sure tell he was born for this!
Here’s a shot John Corlett took of Dennis and Tony Nowak at Arnold’s inauguration in Sacramento, 2007. Ironically, Tony, another terrifically friendly guy, died a few weeks ago, also.
Dennis’ book, Super Size Your Faith, is his autobiography in which he covers his rise, the fall and rise again. Most of the book is his early history, leading up to his ministry later in life. You can order the book, $14.95, or make a contribution to his wife via the tinerino.com website.
I leave you with this sweet slide show, and a smile in memory of a God-loving, fun-loving guy, Dennis Tinerino.