Iconic fitness enthusiast ‘Torturer’ passes at age 75

Gym enthusiasts, fitness professionals, family and friends are mourning the death of well-known trainer and gym founder Orel “Torturer” Edwards who is being remembered as someone who readily offered his time, his resources and himself to help others.
His son, Charles Edwards Jr, said his father was a “very genuine” man who “anybody could have called on at any time and he would extend himself to help them”.
“He had a great impact on a lot of people’s lives, and whether financially helping out or giving advice, he was a very fair type of individual who helped others,” Edwards Jr said.
Today, Torturer’s Gym is one of the more popular facilities where residents go to exercise and improve their fitness levels.
According to his son, Edwards Sr got his start in business very early on “as a young man”.
“Over the years he worked with the oil refinery. He ended up getting into trucking. But he was an enthusiastic person about fitness and when he started, he had the gym right downstairs from where he lived.
“Back in the day there were truck parts which he used to make up his gym. It began to evolve into a better gym to the point that it is where it is today,” Edwards Jr said.
He remembered his father as a “loving and caring man” whilst growing up. The founder of Torturer’s Gym died at age 75 years and is survived by his wife, Olive, and 10 children.
An autopsy has been requested by the family as they do not yet know the cause of their loved one’s death.