Melissa Coates died at 52. She was a popular bodybuilder in the 1990s, winning her pro debut and adorning the covers of muscle magazines. Then for nearly two decades, Coates worked as a pro wrestler and wrestling manager. This is her story.
MELISSA COATES: BODYBUILDER
Melissa Coates came to bodybuilding in a roundabout way. Born on June 18, 1969, in Canada, the youngest child of an actress and a doctor, she grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario, wanting to be a pro tennis player. To assist her tennis game in the ’80s, she took up weight training. Despite amateur tennis success, she had a greater affinity for barbells than rackets. She entered and won her first bodybuilding contest in 1991, all while playing college rugby.
In 1992, Coates graduated Lakewood University (Ohio) with a degree in biology; she wanted to be a veterinarian. In 1994, Coates won the middleweight class of the Canadian Championships, qualifying for the IFBB Pro League. She moved to Los Angeles and, while working various jobs, pursued her professional bodybuilding career and sometimes acted in movies and TV shows.
Melissa Coates was the rare bodybuilder to win her professional debut. It was the prestigious Jan Tana Classic in 1996, and it was also the peak of her short pro bodybuilding career. She placed 9th in that year’s Ms. Olympia and 11th the next year. During a four-year-stretch from 1994-98, Coates’ blonde beautifulness combined with enough-but-not-too-much muscle landed her on six magazine covers (the more-jacked Ms. Olympia Kim Chizevsky was on zero then).
But there wasn’t much money in women’s bodybuilding, and her prospects of another victory had dimmed as the champs grew increasingly diesel and peeled. Coates competed professionally for the fifth and final time in 1999.
MELISSA COATES: WRESTLER
Afterwards, Melissa Coates turned to pro wrestling. For nearly two decades, she moved from one organization to another, including the WWE developmental system and NWA Anarchy, and often worked local shows on the independent circuit. To wrestling fans, she’s probably best known for her final character, the Super Genie, who managed the wrestler Sabu from 2014 on.
MELISSA COATES: CAUSE OF DEATH
Due to a life-threatening blood clot, Melissa Coates’ left leg was amputated last October. Melissa Coates died in her sleep in Las Vegas on June 23 from complications of COVID-19, shortly after turning 52. Our condolences to her family, friends, and fans.
