10 bodybuilders that died recently

[MuscleMecca Crew]

The bodybuilding sport, like every other sport, involves risk. Bodybuilders spend a lot of time in the gym trying to achieve a monster size.

But what could have gone wrong when well-known bodybuilders started to drop dead all of a sudden? They drop dead in their homes, hotel rooms, and even on stage.

Recently, there has been an increase in the death rate of professional bodybuilders. And the causes of their deaths cannot be brushed aside as "natural causes."

It's an open secret in the bodybuilding community that bodybuilders take performance-enhancing drugs, and steroids to help them boost their performance and increase their size. Considering the negative effect that these drugs have, it's logical to conclude that bodybuilders' lives are at risk and we'll continue to lose them if proper measures are not put in place.

Below is a list of 10 famous bodybuilders who have lost their lives in the past 2 years.

• Shawn Rhoden​

Shawn Rhoden's death created a vacuum in the bodybuilding community. He passed away on November 6, 2021 with his cause of death being a heart attack.

Shawn was an exceptional bodybuilder, he had a massive build and his name went down in history as the oldest bodybuilder to win the Mr. Olympia title at 43 years old in 2018.

In 2019, Shawn was banned from participating in the 2019 Mr. Olympia competition owing to a sexual accusation. Unfortunately, he couldn't get another chance to win the Mr. Olympia title again and he also didn't get a chance to clear his name from the sexual accusation.

Sadly, Shawn Rhoden was banned from competing at the 2019 Mr. Olympia contest due to a sexual assault accusation. Who knew 2018 would be Shawn’s last time on the Olympia stage?

Shawn died of a heart attack. However, his fans have a lot of good comments to say about him. He was known to be kind and generous during his lifetime.

• George Peterson​

George Peterson, also known as "Da Bull" lost his life a few days before he could participate in the 2021 Mr. Olympia competition. He was no ordinary bodybuilder, although the 2021 Mr. Olympia competition could have been a chance for him to change his routine of always coming third place at every Mr. Olympia competition he competes in.

George was a young bodybuilder and it's saddening that at 37 he died. He was found on the floor of his hotel room after his coach couldn't reach him. He was found face down with blood around his nose, and all efforts to resuscitate him proved futile. His causes of death, considering the blood around his nose could be related to an aneurysm.

George's death was a huge blow to the bodybuilding community as he wasn't battling any sickness mentally or physically before his death. His coach confirmed that he was quite energetic before his sudden passing. George was an exceptional bodybuilder and the news of his death was tragic.

• Mike Horn​

The death of Mike Horn left many heartbroken both in the bodybuilding community and beyond. Having competed in the IFBB and NPC pro league, Mike was considered a bodybuilder that placed everyone else's needs above his.

Before his death, Mike owned a gym and was a personal trainer. He enjoyed working with people with disabilities, devoting enough time to them as he would a professional bodybuilder.

Mike's sister, Vicky voiced her opinion that Mike's death could have been prevented because Mike was exhibiting symptoms of a heart attack.

Mike didn't pay much attention to the frequent chest pain and arm pain as he easily diminished it as muscle pain or stress. Sadly, he collapsed on the 26th of March 2021 in his gym and he was rushed to the hospital. He however lost his life 13 days later and died at the age of 55 of cardiac arrest.

• Chester Yorton​

Chester Yorton, also known as the father of natural bodybuilding, passed away at the age of 81 in November 2020. He died from a heart attack a few hours after he discovered his wife was dead.

He is among the lucky few bodybuilders that live till old age. Known as the father of natural bodybuilding, Chester encouraged drug-free training and he managed to maintain an amazing physique even in his old age.

Chester fell in love with bodybuilding when he almost died in a car accident as a youth. He engaged in resistance training as part of his recovery process, and from there he launched into bodybuilding.

He competed in Mr. American and Mr. Universe bodybuilding competitions and won them. He was also among the lucky few to defeat the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger at the 1996 NABBA Mr universe contest.

Chester also added a little bit of acting to his career as he featured in two movies, "Muscle Beach Party" and "Don't Make Waves". His death was a huge loss and his fans still miss him dearly.

• John Meadows​

The bodybuilding community lost another star on August 8, 2021. John Meadows was a professional bodybuilder and personal trainer. He was also a father of two boys, Alexander and Jonathan. John was fond of sharing pictures of his boys on his social media pages, including a post he shared of them in December 2020, wishing them a happy birthday and expressing his heartfelt wishes.

He was reportedly said to have died peacefully at home of a pulmonary embolism.

He passed away one year after suffering a brutal blood clot-induced heart attack that almost claimed his life. Also, John survived a rare colon disease in 2005. The disease was known as Idiopathic Myointimal Hyperplasia of the Mesenteric Veins.

John has had a bad medical record over time so he quit bodybuilding in 2017 and focused on training upcoming bodybuilders.

He had a large fan base, a lovely wife, and two kids. It's so sad that he passed away at the young age of 49.

• Phil Hernon​

Phil Hernon is another brother in iron that passed away in 2021. He passed away on the 19th of August, 2021 at age 55.

The news of his death was revealed by his wife through a post on his Facebook page. She revealed that Phil passed on after experiencing a sudden decline in his health. She also thanked his fans for their support and prayers throughout the time he was struggling with his health.

He grew a passion for bodybuilding at age twelve when his father got him a weight set for his birthday. Phil revealed that he has always been sickly as a child and his father got him that gift so he can exercise and be strong.

Phil hasn't been around in the bodybuilding game for long but within the short time he spent as a professional bodybuilder, he packed some notable wins under his belt. His most notable win was the 1995 Mr. USA; he got his Pro card at this event.

• Orlando Gallucci​

Orlando Galluci, an Italian bodybuilder was found dead a few days after competing at the 2021 NPC worldwide European Championship in Alicante, Spain. He was in Spain to participate in the competition and help other bodybuilders that were also participating. After the competition, he decided to extend his stay in Spain to train. On August 17, he posted a picture on his Facebook page, and later that night he passed away.

Orlando Gallucci was a competitor and personal trainer who was loved by everyone in his hometown. He was popular at the gym where he worked out as a bodybuilder and a personal trainer.

His fans and family expressed their condolences across different social media platforms, talking about how he was nice and hoping to not experience such in the industry again.

• Cedric McMillan​

Before his death, Cedric McMillan had been complaining about having health issues, but he ignored it and continued to train for a competitive comeback.

However, he didn't live to witness the comeback he has been training for: he suffered a heart attack while training on a treadmill.

It is not known if Cedric uses steroids or diuretics, but he complained about not being able to hold food down. He always threw everything up and he hiccups almost a thousand times a day.

It's obvious that he has been suffering some serious health issues but he wanted to make a huge comeback but died in the process.

However, before his death, he won the 2017 Arnold Classic award and he always finished in the top 10 positions in Mr. Olympia four times in six years of participating.

• Richard "Dustin" Cosman​

The bodybuilding community expressed genuine sadness at the tragic passing of Richard Cosman on the 1st of January 2021. Even though his death was sad news to the entire bodybuilding community and his family, he was lucky that he didn't suffer a painful death like a heart attack. He died peacefully in his sleep. Cosman was loved by a lot of people because he was kind, talented, and generous.

Dustin started as a crane operator in Fort McMurray Oil fields. He picked up bodybuilding and weight lifting as a hobby before he started his coaching business in 2013.

He also performed excellently as a bodybuilder by packing 8 National BodyBuilding Championship titles under his belt. The death of the 39-year-old was indeed a huge loss as he has touched many lives in more ways than one.

• Michael “Big Kentucky” Thier​

Michael Thier was a bodybuilder loved by many in the community. He dedicated his life to service for the benefit of others. Michael was a soldier who fought in the Bosnia 1996 war and the 1999 UN Mission Ethiopia war. He made sacrifices and he suffered PTSD for a long time.

Through his trials and tribulations, he still became the best he could be when emerged victorious in the 2018 Invictus game in Sydney, Australia.

Mike passed away on the 21st of February 2021 due to kidney failure. At the time of his death, he was surrounded by his loved ones. However, the absence of the 50-year-old bodybuilder will forever be felt by his friends, family, and fans.