POLICE are investigating the mysterious death of a bodybuilder and fitness influencer.
Gabriel Ganley, 22, was found dead on the floor of his kitchen at his home in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Saturday morning by a friend.
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Gabriel Ganley was found dead in his kitchen on May 23
Police have launched an investigation into the bodybuilding influencer’s ‘suspicous’ death
There were no apparent signs of violence at the scene but Gabriel’s death has been categorised as “suspicious” and a probe was ongoing today.
Tributes were flooding in today for the strong man, who had more than two million followers on Instagram alone.
Fan Gabriel Sanches wrote: “Ganley, you were an exceptional influencer who motivated millions around the world. Rest in peace.”
Another added: “He left a great legacy in such a short time. He lived the way he wanted. Rest in peace bro.”
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Leading Brazilian sports nutrition and dietary supplementary brand Integralmedica said in a tribute, referencing the dead man it sponsored by his online nickname of bbzinho: “Today the pain speaks louder. With great sadness, we say goodbye to our eternal bbzinho, who lived intensely and with whom we had historic and unforgettable moments in our family.”
There has not yet been any official comment to the reports.Gabriel’s popularity exploded after a viral video showed him performing a staggering 500-kilogram leg press.
Before making a name for himself online as a fitness influencer where he regularly posted workout videos showing his intense gym routines, the former PE student had been a competitive Pokemon player and at the high point of that career was one of the best eight in Latin America.
He abandoned Pokemon aged just 15. Before turning to weight training, he had also practiced boxing, Jiu Jitsu and wrestling.
Gabriel said he did not consider himself just a digital influencer, but an athlete who used the internet as a work tool.
His shock death at just 22 is the latest in a string of recent tragedies affecting bodybuilders, with many critics being quick to link the fatalities to the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.
In February a bodybuilding champion who regularly used his social media to show off his honed physique and gruelling workouts died after collapsing during the middle of an intense training session.
Juan Sebastian Angola Quintero was pronounced dead at the gym in the Colombian capital Bogota where he had been lifting weights.
Several other gym users tried to assist him when he fell to the ground in front of them but there was nothing they could do to save him.
The tragedy happened at a gym called Smart Fit in a retail centre called Plaza Imperial in a neighbourhood in the north-west part of Bogota called Suba where Juan Sebastian, known to friends as Sebas, trained regularly.
In January a Brazilian bodybuilder dubbed a real-life Popeye who once boasted of growing the largest arms in his country from oil injection died aged just 55.
Arlindo de Souza had participated in TV programmes when he was younger to show off his crazy physique.
Relatives linked his death on January 13 to kidney problems which had led to him being admitted to hospital in the city of Recife in north-east Brazil – near to Olinda where he hailed from – last December.
