Les Mills Snr, the four-time Olympic athlete, former Auckland mayor, and founder of the international Les Mills gym chain, died peacefully at 3:30 a.
m. on Monday, June 29, 2026.
He was 91.
His family confirmed that he passed away surrounded by loved ones after his health declined suddenly on Sunday.
Born Leslie Roy Mills in New Lynn in 1934, he represented New Zealand in shot put and discus at four Olympic Games between 1960 and 1972.
He also won five Commonwealth Games medals, including a discus gold in Jamaica in 1966.
After his athletic career, Mills entered local politics and served three terms as Auckland's mayor from 1990 to 1998.
His son, Phillip Mills, who now runs the global business, spoke to RNZ's Afternoons program about his father's final moments.
"We went around and sort of said our goodbyes, not expecting him to go immediately. But he passed away peacefully at 3.30 in the morning," Phillip said.
The family also released a statement on Instagram, honoring Mills as a Kiwi icon who made an impact across multiple fields.
"Dad was immensely strong, driven, and always cared deeply for the less advantaged," Phillip said.
Phillip noted that his father's early life shaped his resilience. Mills had to care for his family after his own father died when he was 11.
He viewed fitness centers as community sanctuaries.
"He left a lasting impression on everyone he met, and his spirit lives on in gym workouts around the world, continuing to help people fall in love with fitness," Phillip said.
The first Les Mills gym opened in Auckland in 1968. It later grew into a music-driven global group fitness network spanning over 100 countries.
Mills also remained active as an elite sports coach. He guided discus thrower Beatrice Faumuina to a world title in 1997.
"To the family, we will remember him as a person of immense strength but gentleness, a guy with great humour and quick wit and who loved a joke and a guy who was fun to grow up with," Phillip said.
Former Auckland Council member Juliet Yates, who worked with Mills during his first political term in the 1990s, praised his collaborative leadership.
"He was a very, very pleasant person to work with," she said.
Yates noted that the local government achieved significant progress for the entire region under his leadership.
"He was really good at bringing people together and achieving things for the benefit of the city," she said.
Mills was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1973 and a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2002.
He was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame in 2022.
"At the time, I think the achievements of the council he was mayor of were benefiting the whole of the city," Yates said.
Les Mills Snr was preceded in death by his wife Colleen in 2005.
He is survived by his children Phillip and Donna, daughter-in-law Jackie, four grandchildren, and multiple great-grandchildren.
