Remembering Sonny: Masters Olympia champ Sonny Schmidt dies of cancer at age 50

Flex, April, 2004 by Jim Schmaltz

Sonny Schmidt, the Samoan bodybuilder known for his quiet intensity and balanced physique, died of cancer in Melbourne, Australia, on January 25. The winner of the 1995 Masters Olympia, Schmidt was diagnosed with the disease in December 2003 and was told by doctors that he did not have long to live. Schmidt died at his Melbourne home surrounded by family and friends. He was 50 years old.

Born Edmond Alten Schmidt in New Zealand on September 19, 1953, Schmidt grew up on the small South Pacific island of Western Samoa. Eventually, he found his way to Australia, where he earned his pro card in 1989. He quickly distinguished himself on the IFBB circuit with his thick powerfully built musculature. The 5'10" 240-pound bodybuilder would compete in nearly 50 pro contests, his final appearance being the 1999 Masters Olympia, where he finished third. The highlight of his career was winning the '95 Masters O.

Tony Doherty, a Melbourne gym owner and promoter of the Australian Grand Prix, knew Schmidt since 1988. Their friendship was such that Doherty asked Sonny to be the best man at his wedding in 1998.

"He was a fun-loving guy who always had time for people," said Doherty, speaking a few days after Schmidt's death. "He never thought he was better than anybody else. He wouldn't leave until he shook the hand of every fan who wanted to meet him. It meant so much to him."

Close friend Milos Sarcev lived with Schmidt in San Diego, California, from 1991-93. He remembers Sonny as a hardworking man of few words, who displayed exceptional generosity to friends and strangers alike.

"I know people use the term a lot, but Sonny really was the epitome of a gentle giant," says Sarcev. "His biggest muscle was his heart. He would help everyone. He was a giver, not a taker."

Sarcev remembers the time Schmidt literally gave the shirt off his back. "One time Tom Terwilliger [bodybuilder and TV personality] told Sonny that he really loved his T-shirt," recalls Sarcev. "Sonny took his shirt off and gave it to Tom, no questions asked."

Another time, Schmidt overheard a phone conversation with Sarcev and his sister. "My sister needed a loan of $5,000, but I didn't have it," Sarcev remembers. "As Sonny and I drove to the gym, he asked me to stop at the bank. The next thing I know, he's handing me the money to lend my sister. I couldn't believe how generous he was. It's not like he had a lot of money, either. He just loved helping people."

Sometimes it was tough love. "We used to do a lot of the same shows, so we'd be dieting together," says Sarcev. "He was disciplined, but I would try to cheat. I would wait until the middle of the night, 3 AM, and sneak to the refrigerator. I'd open the door and suddenly Sonny would be standing there in my face. I don't know how he heard me, but I could never get away with cheating with him around."

Despite his stern precontest discipline, Schmidt was an eating machine in the offseason. "He could eat the most of any bodybuilder I've ever known," reports Sarcev. "He could eat everyone under the table. Even Lee Priest. It was unimaginable what this man could eat."

Sonny brought the same philosophy of abundance to the gym. Sarcev says that Schmidt would train for as many as six hours at a time. "He was a crazy volume trainer," says Sarcev. "The first time I trained with Sonny, I told him I'd just follow his workout. He decided to do triceps, and proceeded to perform 10 different exercises, five sets each. After we finished the 50 sets, I said to him sarcastically, 'Fifty sets, is that all?' Sonny looked at me in complete seriousness and said, 'Yeah. It's a small muscle group.'"

The news of Schmidt's illness hit the bodybuilding community hard. Sarcev just happened to be in Melbourne in early December to participate in Shawn Ray's Australian Muscle Camp and sought out his old friend, only to discover that he was hospitalized.

"Sonny learned he had a tumor under his arm the day before I visited him, but the doctors still hadn't determined if it was malignant," remembers Sarcev. "Sonny had a feeling it was terminal. It was almost as if he knew."

Schmidt suffered some bad breaks in recent years but found solace in his born-again Christianity. As testament to the love he inspired, the sweet-natured bodybuilder was surrounded by devoted friends and family on his last day, including his mother, Jane, who traveled from Auckland to say goodbye to her son. Sonny is also survived by his siblings Sara, Bismark, Fritz, Fossie and Pale.

Looking back on Schmidt's bodybuilding career, Doherty marvels at his friend's accomplishments. "To come from that little tropical island to make it big in this sport is really amazing," he says.

Sonny Schmidt was one of a kind, a quiet Samoan superman with a gentle heart housed in an intimidating physique. He will be missed.

BY JIM SCHMALTZ SENIOR EDITOR