THE LEGEND C.T. Fletcher

March 30, 2019

C.T. Fletcher (born June 8, 1959) is an American powerlifting vlogger, media personality, actor, personal trainer, and former powerlifter and bodybuilder. He is a three-time World Bench Press Champion and three-time World Strict Curl Champion.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[

Biography

Fletcher was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on June 8, 1959, the son of Walter and Ogie Rea Fletcher. He has an older brother, Walt. During the time of his birth, his father was a field worker and his mother was a housewife. Approximately one year after his birth, he and his family moved to Watts, California and later to Compton, California, where he resided during his youth. He grew up with an abusive father who at the time was preaching in a four-car garage. When he began junior high, they had moved to Lakewood, California, where his father invested in his own church.

At age 12, Fletcher acquired a job at a gas station.^[6] In 1977, aged 18, he joined the U.S. Army. He was stationed in Germany. Soon after, he married his high school sweetheart and they had children of their own. While stationed in Germany, he became interested in martial arts. In 1979, he started to take Karate classes and earned a second degree black belt. In 1980, he began weightlifting and bodybuilding. At first he was interested in bodybuilding, but then powerlifting caught his interest. During the early 1990s, his marriage ended. He met a woman while working at the post office, and in 1995, they had a child named Samson. In total, he and his wife have seven children. Due to his work schedule, he ate a lot of fast food. This unhealthy diet caused him to become a frequent patient in hospitals, and he developed hypertension because of this diet. At the time, he did not seem to be affected but the doctors warned him not to continue his bad habits.

In 2013, he began vlogging on YouTube. In 2016, he opened his first gym, Iron Addicts Gym in Signal Hill, California, where he resides.

Health problems

In 2001, Fletcher received a phone call from his doctor regarding his hypertension and how it could be life-threatening. His body had taken a major hit and he was disabled at age 42. In 2004, his mother passed away from congestive heart failure. The following year, he was admitted to a hospital in Long Beach, Virginia; from there, he was transported to UCI Medical Center for open heart surgery.

Fletcher inherited from his mother's side of the family a heart condition that has heavily impacted his life. His mother and all nine of her siblings died from heart problems.^[6] In 2005, he underwent life-saving open heart surgery. On The Joe Rogan Experience, Fletcher talked about how he had another heart attack in June 2017 and is currently hoping to get on the waiting list for a heart transplant.^[6] On May 5, 2018, Fletcher announced via Twitter that a heart had been found for him. He underwent an 11+ hour heart transplant surgery on May 6, 2018.