George Foreman, Boxer Turned Foreman Grill Infomercial Star, Dies at 76

George Foreman, the charismatic boxer turned infomercial star who had a retail hit with his Foreman Grill product line, died Friday. He was 76. The Texas-born Foreman became Heavyweight Champion of the World, and segued into a TV staple and pop culture icon. He was swept up in the swirl of decade-defining events surrounding Muhammad Ali as well as Joe Frazier and other high-wattage pugilists of the 1970s. In the 1990s, Foreman took advantage of the availablity of low-cost TV time to launch his Foreman Grill home grill product through a series of infomercials that he hosted. Foreman famously had a close call in the ring in 1977 that drove him to quit boxing and declare himself a born-again Christian. He became an ordained minister in 1978 and began preaching in his hometown of Houston. He shocked the sports world when he returned to boxing in 1987 and wound up reclaiming his Heavyweight Champion title in 1994. Foreman retired from the sweet science for good in 1997. In addition to hi ... Read full article.