PORTUGUESE bodybuilder Marco Luis has died aged 46 in Germany.
The muscleman, dubbed “Monster”, had a massive following on social media – and worked as an online coach and motivator.
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His wife confirmed the news in a Facebook post saying: ” Yes, I can confirm that Marco has died in Cologne, Germany.
“He was in his ‘paradise’ doing what he loved.
“As Marco died in a foreign country, I will have to bring his body back to Portugal after it is released which may take a few days.
“Thank you in advance for all the support I’ve received, you’ve been tireless. I ask for everyone’s understanding at this difficult time and please I ask for respect.”
The reason behind the bodybuilder’s death has not been revealed yet.
Marco, who hailed from the volcanic island of Terceira in the Azores archipelago, had nearly 25,000 followers on Instagram as well as his own YouTube channel where he used to post training videos.
He called bodybuilding “his life and passion” on his other social media and had referred to himself online in the past as the “most shredded bodybuilder ever.”
Recounting his problems in an emotional online biography, Marco whose full name was Marco Cesar Aguiar Luis, wrote: “I was born with physical problems that made it impossible for me to do sports…
“[But] I realised that my passion was muscle building and with the help of my father we made cement weights and I started training at home.
“I have never trained in commercial gyms. I was natural until I was 32 because I didn’t even know what chemistry was and it wasn’t until I was 40, in 2018 that I competed for the first time and won.”
Azores-based firefighter Luis Branco said: “Marco will always be an icon of bodybuilding.
“He’s the Monster and he will always be remembered by the lovers of the sport he had so much passion for.
“To all his family, my most sincere condolences at this time of great pain.”
Pal Flavio Gouveia added in an emotional social media post: “I have lost a great friend.
“I am not one for many words, I didn’t want to believe it when I heard the news.
“From the first day I entered your house in your gym we always got along well, there was a great friendship right away.
“We trained many times together, we did great workouts together, you were always a person of goodwill, cheerful, fighting for your dreams, and who always thought about helping others, you never gave up on your dreams, on training and growing, it was what you loved to do!
“My condolences to your wife Marco Luis Monstro.”
Bodybuilders dead
It comes after another bodybuilding champ died after taking a lethal cocktail of drugs including steroids, an inquest heard.
Neil Currey, 34, was found unresponsive in his Sheffield flat in September last year.
An inquest heard the professional bodybuilder died from a mix of methamphetamine and cocaine.
Neil’s body had also struggled with his prolonged use of steroids, with his parents blaming the drug for his death.
Nigel and Sandra Currey told the court how their sporty son worked as a personal trainer before embarking on a bodybuilding career.
He achieved his dream of competing for Mr Olympia at the annual Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend in 2022 but had struggled with his height/weight ratio and became reliant on steroids.
On March 27, Brazilian influencer and powerlifting champion Rhayara Morais was discovered lifeless in her bed at her apartment in Aguas Claras.
Rhayara, who had nearly 150,000 followers on Instagram and boasted of having half a million fans on Tiktok, won a regional powerlifting title after taking up the sport around two years ago.
Brazilian Eustacio Batista Dias, 27, was shot dead after trying to escape his killers when they started firing at him as he chatted to another man between exercises.
The horror moment he was killed was filmed on CCTV.
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