Craig Licker, a former professional bodybuilder, has passed away.
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RxMuscle announced on their Instagram that the beloved former IFBB bodybuilder died at 57. No cause of death was given.
Craig Licker turned professional in 1994 after securing the middleweight title at the NPC Nationals. According to Generation Iron, he competed in 13 IFBB events, making his debut in 1995 at both the Niagara Falls Pro Invitational and the Houston Pro Championships.
After taking a decade-long hiatus, Licker returned to the stage twice in 2015, marking a brief but notable comeback.
A Fellow Bodybuilder Pays Tribute to Craig Licker
Retired bodybuilder Dave Palumbo shared memories of Licker with RxMuscle.
“I met Craig back in 1995 and started coaching him soon after,” he recalled. “Ultimately, that developed into a lifelong friendship. Craig had a really gifted structure and discipline for bodybuilding. If you told him to eat dirt, he’d ask you ‘How many oz?'”
“He earned his IFBB Pro card during an era where very few pro cards were awarded,” Palumbo continued. “He dominated the super competitive middleweight class at the 1994 NPC Nationals (the year Paul DeMayo won the HW and Overall)… and struggled to place well in the pro ranks in a time before the 212 division was formed.”
Palumbo also shared a love of automobiles with Licker.
“Craig and I both were BMW fanatics,” he added. “He had a tuned-to-the-max BMW M3 and I had an M5… we spent ludicrous amounts of money on upgrading our cars and we’d race each other and talk “car shop” all the time Craig also worked as a salesman in the New England area for Species Nutrition in 2012-13.
“I will miss our always interesting conversations and his great sense of humor … RIP, my friend!” Palumbo concluded.
Licker’s passing follows the recent loss of another bodybuilder, Hayley McNeff, who tragically passed away last week at just 37 years old.