I remember Casey Viator by Wayne Gallasch.

The 1971 Mr America and 3 x IFBB Pro title holder Casey Viator died on his 62nd birthday, on September 4th, at the age of 62.
At this time it is believed that his death was the result of a heart attack. I also understand that Casey suffered from high blood pressure and early congestive heart disease.

When Viator won the 1970 AAU Mr USA , 1970 AAU Mr America (he was the youngest ever at age 19), no one of that age and with that density, hardness and completeness of physique had been seen before.

Casey was quiet for a while on the contest scene, and then Art Jones in 1978 brought him to London for the NABBA Universe. I was at that event shooting it on film. I clearly recall how upset and disappointed Arthur was when Casey was announced in 2nd place in Medium Class 2 Results.

The winner of the class and the Overall Amateur Mr Universe for 1978 was Dave Johns. It was no failure for Viator to be second to Dave, although I felt the result could have gone either way, and in my mind Casey was the superior physique.  I do feel that Jones got up the noses of the British which did not help Casey's cause!

Casey subsequently won 3 IFBB Pro contests in 1980 with his final and possibly most controversial result being his 3rd place at the 1982 Mr Olympia in London behind eventual winner Chris Dickerson and Frank Zane who was 2nd.

Viator next entered the 1995 IFBB Masters Mr Olympia contest but did not place well.

Now to share with you several of my personal experiences with Casey.

Casey Viator was a quiet sort of guy, and one of the best physique stars I ever filmed and photographed. It was mid-summer of 1978 that I flew over to Daytona Beach, Florida to work with Casey, shooting with him at the Nautilus facility at DeLand, (thanks to Arthur Jones), and also on a beach just south of Daytona Beach. He was in fantastic condition as you can see in a photo on his DVD product page, and in our Photo Gallery. 
 
He was a hard working model, never saying no to a few more poses, or “let’s try one more location”. He was proud of the physique had had developed through sheer hard work and was happy to share it with me for recording for posterity.
 
We next worked together several times in the early 80s, shooting on the Marina Beach and at the Santa Monica beach. He was not quite as sharp as in 1978, but still looked fantastic. The last time was shortly before he placed 3rd in the 1982 Mr Olympia in London. This was the last time I saw Casey compete.
 
He will always be remembered for his rock hard muscularity and wonderful symmetry. He was truly one of a kind and will be greatly missed. Casey Viator, RIP.
 
Our condolences to Casey’s family. He will be greatly missed.