With great regret, IronMind® received word that Pat Casey succumbed to his long battle against cancer.

Four decades ago, Pat Casey became the first man to bench press 600 pounds - a number that still stands as a remarkable achievement for anyone who benches raw, as Pat did.

Although Pat was best known for his otherworldly bench presses, he was also the top superheavyweight powerlifter of his day, not a one-lift specialist, as he was also the first man to officially squat 800 pounds and the first man to officially total 2000 pounds.

Besides his official powerlifts, Pat will always be remembered for his prodigious training lifts, such as walking to the dumbbell rack, picking up a pair of 210-pound dumbbells, walking back to the incline bench, getting the dumbbells into position unassisted, doing his reps, and then lowering and returning the dumbbells to the rack without any help.

We are not lucky enough to still have Pat's company, but wherever heavy metal is hoisted, Pat's spirit will live.

May he rest in peace.