A Brazilian bodybuilder and TikTok star who went viral after injecting himself with life-threatening oil to achieve 23-inch biceps has died in Ribeirao Preto on his 55th birthday, Charmingpro reports
Valdir Segato of Sao Paulo, who was inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s physique and fictional characters like The Hulk, used synthol injections for years to produce hulking biceps, pectorals, and back muscles, despite the risk of strokes and infections.
According to Mail Online, Segato was warned six years ago that he faced amputation or nerve damage, as well as muscle disfigurement, but he continued to use the injections to bulk himself up.
The former construction worker even declared his desire to grow even bigger.
‘They call me Hulk, Schwarzenegger, and He-Man all the time, and I like it,’ he said in 2016. I’ve more than doubled my biceps size, but I still want to be bigger.’
He proudly shared photos and videos on social media, identifying himself as ‘Valdir Synthol’ on Instagram.
According to local media, he died after being taken to the hospital with complaints of shortness of breath.
One man, Moisés da Conceiço da Silva, said Segato had asked his mother for help on the day he died, complaining about shortness of breath.
‘It was around 6 a.m., give or take. He crawled through the back house and out the front door. Then he knocked on my mother’s window, knocked, knocked, and she woke up, and he said, ‘Help me, help me because I’m dying,” Moisés told the Brazilian newspaper Globo.
He was taken to the North Emergency Care Unit (UPA), a city medical facility, but he was unable to be saved.
‘They put him in the car, and the neighbor drove him to the UPA.’ When he arrived at the UPA, he collapsed at the reception desk, suffering from a heart attack. ‘I believe he had a heart attack,’ Moisés told the news outlet.