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Eric Von Frohlich, co-founder of Row House and founder of EVF Performance CrossFit Upper East Side, died last week at age 60, according to Athletech News. He was remembered for his coaching, role in expanding boutique rowing fitness and work with the Parkinson’s community; the report did not provide a cause of death or an exact date.
Eric Von Frohlich, co-founder of Row House and a prominent New York fitness coach and entrepreneur, died last week at age 60, Athletech News reported. Tributes collected by the outlet remember him for helping popularize rowing as a boutique fitness format, his work in CrossFit and his advocacy in the Parkinson’s community after his diagnosis.
Frohlich co-founded Row House in 2014 with his wife, Debra Strougo. Athletech News credits the company with helping take rowing from a specialized activity to a group fitness option offered to a broader audience. The report describes Frohlich as a respected figure in New York’s boutique fitness scene, known for a demanding but thoughtful coaching style.
He also founded EVF Performance CrossFit Upper East Side and, with Strougo, established Fitizens Holdings, a firm that advised and invested in health, fitness and wellness businesses. The accounts in Athletech News portray his work as extending beyond exercise programming to building businesses and drawing people into fitness through group training.
After receiving a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis, Frohlich became involved in advocacy and served on the board of Rock Steady Boxing, according to Athletech News. Ryan Cotton, identified by the outlet as connected to the organization, said Frohlich joined its board because of his diagnosis and fitness-industry experience. The report says he used his platform to support people living with Parkinson’s and inform conversations about care.
Frohlich is survived by his wife, Debra, and their children, Magnus, Carter and Bella, as well as other relatives, according to the report. He was predeceased by his mother, Joyce Carter Frohlich. The article also lists the family’s dog and cats among his survivors.
His Influence on Group Fitness
Frohlich’s death marks the loss of a figure whose work connected fitness entrepreneurship, coaching and advocacy. Row House brought rowing into a boutique group-class setting, while his CrossFit gym gave him a direct role in coaching and community-building in New York. Colleagues’ accounts suggest his influence was not limited to the businesses he helped create; they describe a coach who encouraged people with differing backgrounds and experience levels to take part.
His Parkinson’s advocacy added another dimension to that public role. Cotton said Frohlich faced the realities of his diagnosis without presenting optimism as an easy answer. That approach, as described in the tributes, offered a visible example of someone drawing on fitness expertise and personal experience to engage with a neurological condition. The source does not make claims about treatment outcomes, but it documents his service and public involvement.
The tributes also show how the fitness community is remembering him: not only for business milestones, but for relationships with clients, colleagues and friends. Several contributors to Athletech News described his humor, energy, integrity and ability to listen. Those are personal assessments, rather than independently measured effects, but they help explain the breadth of the response reported by the outlet.
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From CrossFit to Row House
Frohlich worked across several parts of the fitness industry. He ran EVF Performance CrossFit Upper East Side and later co-founded Row House with Strougo in 2014. Athletech News describes him as an early advocate for rowing-based group fitness, a format that can make the rowing machine a central part of a coached class rather than an individual gym exercise.
He and Strougo also created Fitizens Holdings to advise and invest in companies in health, fitness and wellness. The source gives no portfolio details or financial figures, so the scale of those investments cannot be established from the report. After his Parkinson’s diagnosis, Frohlich joined Rock Steady Boxing’s board, connecting his fitness background with advocacy related to the disease.
Athletech News published a collection of tributes gathered over the week before its report. The outlet said the comments came from emails and texts sent to its newsroom and from public social-media posts; it noted that some were lightly edited for clarity and length. The collection includes reflections from fitness-industry figures, friends and people involved in Parkinson’s advocacy.
““He was a genuine listener who made you feel heard.””
— Ryan Cotton, in a tribute published by Athletech News
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Details Not Yet Reported
Athletech News reported that Frohlich died “last week,” but its supplied account does not give an exact date, cause of death or location. It also does not cite a family statement addressing those details. No further information about the circumstances of his death should be inferred from the tributes or from his Parkinson’s diagnosis.
The source does not provide additional details about plans for a memorial, funeral or public gathering. Its account focuses on Frohlich’s career, family and the remembrances shared by people who knew or worked with him. The tributes are attributed personal reflections, not a complete record of responses from everyone connected to him.
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Tributes and Family Plans
Athletech News’ report presents tributes collected over the week following Frohlich’s death. Further public remembrances or information about memorial arrangements may follow, but no service details or next public event are included in the source material. Any additional confirmed information would clarify how family, colleagues and the wider fitness community plan to honor him.
For now, the reported record of his work spans the businesses he helped build, his coaching and his role with Rock Steady Boxing. The circumstances of his death remain unspecified in the report.
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Key Questions
Who was Eric Von Frohlich?
Frohlich was a New York fitness entrepreneur and coach. He co-founded Row House, founded EVF Performance CrossFit Upper East Side and, with his wife, Debra Strougo, established Fitizens Holdings.
How old was Eric Von Frohlich when he died?
Athletech News reported that Frohlich was 60 when he died last week. The report did not specify the exact date of his death.
What was his connection to Parkinson’s advocacy?
After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Frohlich became an advocate for the Parkinson’s community and served on the board of Rock Steady Boxing, according to Athletech News.
What is known about his family?
The report says Frohlich is survived by his wife, Debra, and their children, Magnus, Carter and Bella, along with other relatives. It also names the family’s dog, Midas, and cats, Thorkell and Momo.
Has the cause of death been reported?
The source material does not state a cause of death or provide further details about the circumstances. His Parkinson’s diagnosis should not be treated as an explanation for his death.
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