Christopher Cosich

Christopher A. Cosich, a well-known bodybuilder and strength and fitness coach, died at home in Amagansett on April 21. He was 47 years old.

Born on Nov. 5, 1966, in Huntington to John Cosich and the former B. August Samuelsen, Mr. Cosich grew up in Lake Ronkonkoma. After graduating from Sachem High School he went on to St. Michael’s College in Vermont, where he majored in English and history.

He stayed in Vermont for a few years, his mother said, doing odd jobs in Burlington, but eventually moved to Manhattan and took a job at Pumping Iron Gym in Yorkville. He had been coming to Amagansett from childhood, said his mother, and after several years in the city he moved here and opened a gym, New Image Fitness, in his garage. He worked one-on-one with clients, helping to develop some top local bodybuilders, among them Beni Shoshi and Zivile Ngo.

In a 2011 interview, Mr. Shoshi told The Star that proper diet was the key to bodybuilding. “Chris Cosich knows all about nutrition, and I just listened to what he said. I did everything he told me to do,” he said.

In addition to his work in the gym, Mr. Cosich, who was highly knowledgeable about World War II, founded the Long Island chapter of Honor Flight, a nonprofit organization that works on behalf of veterans. Over the years the group has flown more than 1,000 veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the National World War II Memorial there.

Mr. Cosich’s marriage to Anke Albert ended after seven years, in 2013. His mother is his only survivor.

Mr. Cosich, who took his own life, was cremated. His ashes will be placed in the gardens of two East Hampton churches, his mother said.

Memorial donations have been suggested to Honor Flight Long Island, attention Virginia Bennett, Southampton Town Hall, 116 Hampton Road, Southampton 11968. The organization is planning a memorial service at Southampton High School on June 1, the time to be announced.