Remembering Mari

She was known to millions as the Pilates instructor to the stars, but to her friends, Mari Winsor was not only an inspired teacher, but a sister, a force of nature and “a celebrator of life who invited everyone to the party.”

- Anne Marie O'Connor

THE HUMAN DYNAMO KNOWN AS MARI WINSOR WAS BORN IN MARSHAL, MICHIGAN IN 1950. A passion for movement led her to study modern dance at Michigan State University. After graduation, she headed to New York after she was awarded a scholarship to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center.

During her long career as a professional dancer, she appeared in music videos for Michael Jackson and Huey Lewis, among others, and was also a successful choreographer and teacher. After being introduced to Pilates by Sarita Allen, her close friend whom she’d met while at Alvin Ailey, she studied with Romana Kryzanowska, That launched a new career, one that enabled her to transform millions of lives

Stars, including Emma Stone, Drew Barrymore, Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Maria Shriver, Sharon Stone and Miley Cyrus, flocked to her three Los Angeles-area studios. She introduced Pilates to a much wider audience through her videos, which sold more than 50 million units, her infomericals and books.

But it was after she was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), in 2013 that Winsor’s true strength was revealed. She took on a new role as an extraordinary activist and advocate to raise awareness and money to find a cure for the disease; she also taught Pilates to other ALS patients.

Mari Winsor died on April 28 of complications from ALS. She was 70.

Here, some of her closest friends share their favorite memories of her.

SARITA ALLEN