A 19-year-old bodybuilder was found dead in his home in Brazil after suffering an apparent heart attack, according to multiple reports.
Matheus Pavlak reportedly died on Sunday and the bodybuilding community has been reeling as they mourn his loss.
Pavlak had transformed over the past five years into a finely tuned bodybuilder as a way to combat obesity, which has made him an icon in his native Brazil.
The teen, who began bodybuilding in 2019, regularly competed in competitions in Santa Catarina, a state in the southern part of Brazil, and was named “Mr. Blumenau” after he won a U23 competition last year.
He also took part and finished in the top 10 in other competitions in the region.
Pavlak had used social media to document his transformation and in one post he wrote: according to TMZ, “No matter how difficult or impossible your dream is, if you really want it, you will get there.”
Lucas Chegatti, a former trainer who had worked with Pavlak, wrote a touching tribute to him on social media.
“Today ends in a sad day with the loss of a great friend, a spectacular boy who leaves us early, a tragedy that took us by surprise,” Chegatti wrote, according to the Mirror.
“He had a brilliant future ahead of him as a respected athlete. God has his plans but it’s hard to understand, I don’t have the words to explain the weight I feel in my heart. I was Matheus’ first coach and I’m very proud to have had the opportunity to have cared for him like a son. I promised him that one day he would beat me and said and done, the first time we competed together against each other, he ended up winning.
“He was no longer a part of my team, but I know I managed to form a great athlete. May God comfort his family and take care of our boy.”
