Bodybuilder Rich Piana, a forceful advocate against the use of steroids, died Friday after collapsing and being placed in a medical coma. He was only 46 years old.
The former weightlifting champion collapsed this month while getting a haircut and was placed in a medically induced coma after attempts to revive him were unsuccessful, according to the New York Daily News.
Piana survived two weeks of his medically induced coma before passing away on Friday, authorities in Florida said.
Police reported finding a large amount of steroids and protein products in the bodybuilder’s home as well as an unidentified white powder, TMZ said.
Piana was a popular bodybuilder and had amassed over a million followers on social media.
He had also recently begun warning about the detrimental effects of steroid use. In 2014 he told fans that there are health costs to using the enhancing drug.
“If you want to become a professional bodybuilder, guess what — you’re probably going to have to f—in’ do ’em,” Piana told fans. “You’re not going to have a choice.”
Still, he warned against it saying, “There’s no reason to do steroids, you’re only hurting your body, you’re hurting yourself.”
Authorities have scheduled an autopsy and investigation into Piana’s death and have not commented on whether or not the drug played a part in his death.
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