A Brazilian bodybuilder and TikTok star who became famous for injecting himself with life-threatening oil to create 23-inch biceps died suddenly on his 55th birthday in Ribeirao Preto. Valdir Segato had amassed a massive fan following on TikTok and other social media platforms for flaunting his huge biceps but unfortunately died because of the oil he was using.
Despite running the danger of strokes and infections, Segato had been injecting himself with synthol for years in order to build massive pectorals, biceps, and back muscles. Segato was pronounced dead on July 26. So far, no cause of death has been released but reports claim that he may have suffered a heart attack because of the use of synthol.
He Killed Himself
Segato had gained more than 1.6 million followers on TikTok by flaunting his 23-inch biceps. However, he chose a thing that was life-threatening. Doctors had advised him against injecting himself with synthol but Segato continued doing it for years. This risked his life from dangers of strokes.
A native of Sao Paulo, Segato had previously said that the bodies of Arnold Schwarzenegger and fictitious characters like The Hulk served as inspirations for him. He also expressed pride at being referred to as “the monster” on the streets.
He was cautioned six years ago that if he continued to use the injections to bulk up, he risked amputation, or at the very least nerve damage and muscular deformation. Segato, who was formerly employed in construction, claimed he liked the attention it brought and wished to become even bigger, and didn’t pay heed to the doctors’ advice.
“They call me Hulk, Schwarzenegger and He-Man all the time and I like that. I’ve doubled my biceps but I still want to be bigger,” he said in 2016, according to the Daily Mail.
He was pleased with his reputation of being called “the monster” on the streets.
Leading a Lonely Life
Although Segato had amassed a massive fan following on social media, he reportedly led an isolated life with few friends or visitors. Segato rented a house that was erected behind his family’s home, according to a man named Moisés da Conceiço da Silva, and on the day of his death, he was complaining about having trouble breathing.
“It was around 6 am, more or less. He came crawling through the back house and came to the front. Then he knocked on my mother’s window, knocked, knocked, then she woke up and he said “help me, help me because I’m dying’,” Moisés said, according to Brazil’s Globo news publication.
He was rushed to the North Emergency Care Unit (UPA), a hospital in the city, but he couldn’t be saved. He fell at the reception appearing to have suffered a heart attack.
Jadson da Conceiço, Moisés’ brother, told Globo that this was not the first time he had to be transported to the hospital. Segato had previously complained of shortness of breath. He said that the first time, they were successful in getting him to the hospital on time but this time there was no returning.
He was an emaciated, underweight drug user in his youth who lost so much weight that he became known as “Skinny Dog.” But after being administered Synthol in the gym, he developed a dependency for the drug.
Synthol often contains a mixture of oil, benzyl alcohol, and lidocaine. According to Europe PubMed Central, synthol can result in ” “a damage of nerves, oil embolic of the pulmonary, occlusion of the pulmonary artery, myocardial infarction, cerebral stroke and infectious complications.”
Segato kept using the oil despite being informed that doing so could result in amputation and that the results were only aesthetic and did not make him any stronger.
