Bela Karolyi and his wife Martha defected to the U.S. in 1981, and over the next 30-plus years, became a guiding force in American gymnastics, though not without controversy.

Bela Karolyi, one of the United States' most eminent gymnastics coaches alongside wife Márta, has died at age 82, a spokesperson for USA Gymnastics said Saturday evening.

Karolyi developed USA Gymnastics into a global force, but his legacy would be tainted by the Larry Nassar scandal