August 26th, 2017 | Updated on July 22nd, 2022
Celebrity bodybuilder Rich Piana, winner of many fitness competitions including Mister California, was placed in a medically induced coma after collapsing while getting a haircut earlier in August. Piana’s ex-wife, model Sara Piana, penned an emotional Facebook post, writing that Rich Piana had passed away after two weeks of being in the hospital. The bodybuilder was 46 years old.
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46-year-old Piana has competed and won several bodybuilding competitions over the years — including Mr. California — and has become an Instagram sensation, racking up more than 1 million followers.
Law enforcement sources tell us … emergency personnel responded to a possible overdose call at Piana’s home on Monday afternoon. When they arrived, Piana was unresponsive and was transported to a nearby hospital where he was placed into a medically induced coma.
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The District Six Medical Examiner in Florida confirmed that Piana passed away early Friday morning at the hospital, TMZ reported. ‘You truly touched many people’s heart and helped so many!!! It inspired me in many ways to see the huge impact you had on people all over the world,’ Sara Piana wrote in a Facebook post announcing her estranged husband’s death.
Australian bodybuilder Calum Von Moger also paid tribute to Rich Piana on Instagram: ‘This has been a sad week for the fitness world. Reminds us life is short. Life is precious.’Piana, who has admitted using steroids in the past, collapsed in his home on August 10 and was placed in a coma.
A professional bodybuilder from California, Piana entered the world of competitive bodybuilding at the early age of 15. He shot to fame in 1998 after winning the Mr. California title with an overall perfect score, subsequently placing in a number of state and national competitions.
Piana was perhaps better known for his brash social media presence, amassing nearly 1.2 million Instagram followers and almost 960,000 subscribers on YouTube. He was open about his history of steroid use, disclosing that he had been taking steroids for about 25 years to gain an edge in fitness competitions.
Rich Piana has openly admitted to using steroids for more than 30 years
The controversial figure has previously admitted in several videos to years of steroid abuse
Tributes have been paid to pro bodybuilder Rich Piana amid rumours of his death
Piana’s girlfriend Chanel had asked people to pray for him on social media
Chanel Jansen, the girlfriend of celebrity bodybuilding champion Rich Piana, has paid tribute to him following his death on Friday, sharing a photo of them lying in bed with the caption: ‘We were supposed to go together’
Piana reportedly collapsed while Jansen was cutting his hair at their home more than two weeks ago
Jansen posted this photo with Piana from the hospital last week, where she had dispelled rumors that he had died
Piana’s estranged wife Sara announced his death on Friday morning in a post on Facebook
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Source: dailymail.co.uk, thesun.co.uk
