Family says Gilad Yankelvitch’s cause of death remains under police investigation

About two weeks after the sudden death of fitness trainer Gilad Yankelvitch, his family released new details saying the exact circumstances are still unclear and are being actively investigated by the Honolulu Police Department. The family said Yankelvitch was found unconscious at the foot of his 16-story residential building in Hawaii.

In a statement, the family wrote that they were sharing the information “with great sorrow and deep sadness,” asked for patience and privacy, and said they were deeply moved by the support they have received from followers around the world. They added that, in accordance with the family’s wishes, Yankelvitch will be buried in Israel beside his parents.

The new statement differs from early reports after his death, which said he was believed to have suffered cardiac arrest in his sleep. His close friend Haya Halperin, also known from the fitness program “Sh’at Koach,” said that in their last conversation he told her he wanted to sleep and would call back in a few minutes, but the call never resumed.

Yankelvitch, a former Israeli decathlon champion and record-holder, became one of the best-known figures in the home fitness boom of the 1980s and 1990s. He gained international fame with “Body in Motion,” filmed on Hawaii beaches and broadcast for years in the United States, and was also associated in Israel with Sports Channel broadcasts. In recent years he continued filming workouts, and in recent months he had been in advanced talks with Sports Channel about a possible filmed comeback in Israel, including a new series intended for both Israeli and U.S. audiences, featuring locations such as Masada and Jerusalem. He would have turned 72 in July.