Mike Matarazzo


Michael Richard Matarazzo was an American IFBB professional bodybuilder.
Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Matarazzo moved to Venice, California to further his bodybuilding career. Formerly a boxer, Matarazzo first won the 1989 Gold's Gym Classic in Massachusetts. He competed for the first time in the Mr. Olympia contest in 1991. Known primarily for his massive arms and calves, his best placing in the Mr. Olympia competition was 9th, in 1998.
Matarazzo's last appearance in a professional bodybuilding event was the 2001 Mr. Olympia, where he placed 21st. He was forced to retire due to having open heart surgery on December 8, 2004 for clogged arteries. On November 8, 2007, Matarazzo suffered a heart attack, his second cardiac-related problem since his 2004 surgery. On August 3rd, 2014, Matarazzo was in the intensive care unit of Stanford hospital in Palo Alto due to heart complications. He died on August 16 while awaiting a heart transplant. At the time of his death he was residing in Modesto, California, and had been forced to stop working as a bail bondsman due to his 20% heart function.

Contest history