Fitness guru Greg Plitt’s memorial will be open to the public

The family of actor and fitness model Greg Plitt have received thousands of messages from well-wishers and now are planning a public memorial Saturday in Beverly Hills.

The family thanked Plitt’s fans for their support after his accidental death Saturday in Burbank.

“We are devastated over the loss of our son,” they said in a statement posted on his website.

“Your messages have uplifted us and give us strength; we thank you for that. Greg’s soul is now with our heavenly Father. May his spirit live on through his website and through each of you.”

Plitt was killed when he was struck by a passing Metrolink train. Friends said he was trying to get an action shot, possibly for his website or commercial, when he tripped and was hit.

Authorities say he did not have permits to film on the tracks.

Plitt always “wanted to push things to the limit,” his girlfriend, Christina Stejskal, said Monday. “He’s just like Superman.”

For many in the fitness community, Plitt was motivating and inspiring.

Described as friendly and humble, Plitt would talk with fans at length.

Plitt, who was also an actor and model, was featured in more than 250 magazines.

He was the star of the Bravo reality show “Work Out” and appeared on the soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” as well as in the films “Terminator Salvation” and “Grudge Match.”

Plitt’s lean and buffed body was the model for the ultra-fit Dr. Manhattan in the 2009 film “Watchmen.”

The West Point graduate and former U.S. Army Ranger was somewhat of a daredevil.

Plitt was not afraid to take risks, both in his work and at play, his friends say.

He was also seen as a family man, sometimes talking to his mother up to four times a day, his friend Warren Coulter said.

Plitt’s public memorial service will begin at 2 p.m. at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. Another service will be held next week in his hometown of Baltimore.

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