Bela Karolyi, the embattled yet successful gymnastics coach who helped young women vault to the highest levels of the sport in the Olympics, has died at the age of 82, USA Gymnastics has announced.

Former American and Romanian gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi died on Friday at age 82, according to USA Gymnastics. Karolyi and his wife, Martha

Legendary and controversial coach Béla Károlyi, who died on Friday, played a key role in transforming USA Gymnastics into an Olympic and international competition powerhouse, turning out superstars like Kerri Strug and Nadia Comăneci.

Bela Karolyi coached several renowned gymnasts, including Mary Lou Retton, Kerri Strug and Julianne McNamara. But he was known for harsh methods of training.

Bela Karolyi, the legendary and controversial Romanian American gymnastics coach who helped lead Mary Lou Retton, Nadia Comaneci and Kerri Strug to Olympic gold, has died, USA Gymnastics announced. He was 82.

Bela Karolyi and his wife, Martha, defected to the U.S. in 1981 and trained multiple Olympic gold medalists and world champions in the U.S. and Romania, including Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton.

Béla Károlyi, the gymnastics coach who rose to prominence by training Olympic all-around champions Nadia Comăneci and Mary Lou Retton, has died at 82, USA Gymnastics said in a statement on Saturday night.

Béla Károlyi, who coached the U.S. women's gymnastics team to its first Olympic gold medal, has died at age 82. Shanelle Kaul looks back at his life and controversial legacy.