Key Takeaways
- Debbie Clark, the athlete who played Storm on American Gladiators, died at 61 after her pacemaker stopped working at her Boston home, according to her family.
- The former All-American track athlete joined the series in 1991, became known for Powerball and Joust, and left in 1993 after a devastating ACL injury.
- After surviving domestic violence and homelessness with her son, Clark hoped to advocate for others facing those struggles; her son has launched a GoFundMe for memorial expenses.
Debbie Clark, the former track standout who became Storm on American Gladiators, has died.
Clark died on Monday, August 24, at her home in Boston after her pacemaker stopped working, her family told TMZ. She was 61. Her brother, Steven, said relatives were with Clark at the time, while her son, Crayton, said she died in his arms as they waited for emergency responders.
Crayton believes his mother suffered cardiac arrest after overworking herself. Paramedics attempted to revive her but were unsuccessful, according to the family. He had been living in the same apartment complex so he could help care for Clark and spend more time with her. Crayton has since launched a GoFundMe to cover memorial expenses and fulfill the family’s wish of spreading Clark’s ashes with those of her mother.
Long before she became one of television’s most imposing athletes, Clark built a résumé across several sports. She earned MVP honors in basketball and soccer during high school, received All-American recognition in track and field, and later competed at the University of Nebraska.
Clark also trained with the U.S. Olympic handball program before setting her sights on American Gladiators.
Beyond athletics, she earned a degree in psychology and studied culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University.
Clark initially traveled to Los Angeles hoping to compete against the Gladiators, but producers saw her as something more. After passing her tryout, she was told that her new name would be Storm “because you blew us all away.”
She joined the syndicated competition series in 1991 as a replacement for an injured Gold, played by Tonya Knight, and quickly made her mark in Powerball and Joust.
Her on-screen warning matched the show’s larger-than-life presentation: “Contenders, when it rains, it pours. So watch out. The Storm is coming!”
Clark also displayed her singing ability by performing the national anthem during the American Gladiators live tour.
Her run ended after a devastating ACL injury sustained during a Powerball event in Hartford, Connecticut. “I went to body slam a Contender,” Clark later recalled, explaining that another competitor was knocked into her left leg while she was carrying an opponent.
The damage affected her mobility and ability to work long after she left the series in 1993.
Years later, Clark disclosed that she and her son had experienced homelessness after fleeing a domestic violence situation in South Carolina. They spent time living in their car and moving between San Diego shelters before receiving help from former Gladiators, community organizations, and television personality Sherri Shepherd, who covered six months of rent.
Clark later hoped to use her experience to advocate for survivors of domestic violence and people experiencing homelessness. “Homelessness does not have any prejudice,” she once said. “You can end up in the same situation, it doesn’t matter.”
In announcing her death, American Gladiators remembered Clark as “an exceptional athlete.”
