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Arnold Schwarzenegger is honoring his late best friend on what whole have been a milestone birthday.
Italian bodybuilder and actor Franco Columbu died at the age of 78 in August 2019. A two-time Mr Olympia, Columbu appeared alongside his “partner in crime” Schwarzenegger in The Terminator, The Running Man, and Conan the Barbarian. Two years ago, he passed away in a hospital in his native Sardinia after becoming ill while swimming in the ocean.
At the time of his passing, the former Governor of California posted a heartfelt tribute posted to Instagram, saying his life was “more fun, more colourful, and more complete” thanks to Franco.
“From the minute we met in Munich, you were my partner in crime. We pushed each other, we competed with each other, and we laughed at every moment along the way,” Arnold wrote at the time. “When I finally got to America, I was alone. I’d left my family, my country, my whole life behind. So when I asked Joe Weider to bring you to train with me, it was because I knew I wasn’t the same without my best friend. I could thrive without money, without my parents, but I couldn’t thrive without you.”
He continued, “I am devastated today. But I am also so, so grateful for the 54 years of friendship and joy we shared. The pumps, 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 colorful, and more complete because of you.”
Now, two years later, Schwarzenegger is paying tribute to his friend with a birthday post, admitting just how much he misses his fellow body builder and their decades-long friendship.
“Franco would have been 80 today,” the star wrote to Instagram, posting a picture from their younger days. “He was everything to me - best friend, training partner, chess partner. I miss him dearly.”
While Franco isn’t here to celebrate his 80th birthday with Arnold, it’s clear how much of a lasting impact he made on his friend, which will stay with him for the rest of his life.
“I will always miss you,” Schwarzenegger wrote in 2019, “But I’ll also know that a part of you lives on in me, in Debbie, in Maria, and in the millions of people you inspired every day you lived. And I will be there for Maria and Debbie, so you can rest now with no worries.”