A 19-year-old bodybuilder who had a “brilliant future” ahead of him has been found dead after suffering an apparent heart attack, according to reports.
Matheus Pavlak died suddenly at his home in Brazil on Sunday, his coach revealed.
The body of the rising teenage star was discovered on Sunday afternoon after he suffered a heart attack while home alone.
Pavlak, 19, had transformed his body in just five years after taking up the grueling sport to overcome his obesity.
He was a regular competitor in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina where he lived.
Last year, the police officer’s son won a U23 contest to become Mr. Blumenau in his home city of the same name.
In May this year, he finished fourth and sixth in other regional competitions.
The sudden death of the athlete has sent shockwaves through the bodybuilding community.
Pavlak’s former coach Lucas Chegatti posted an emotional tribute to the teen after news of his death emerged.
Alongside photos of his former star pupil celebrating one of his competition triumphs, Chegatti wrote:
“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.
“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.”
He went on to reveal Matheus decided to take up bodybuilding to overcome his childhood weight problems, saying:
“He started training harder around the year 2019 due to obesity.
“In 2022 when we met, we aligned our training and started aiming at making him a champion.”
Matheus himself had posted pictures and video footage of his remarkable body transformation on his own social media.
He went from a chubby youngster to a finely-honed athlete in just a few years.
His transformation had become an inspiration for others.
He wrote alongside the images: “It doesn’t matter how difficult or impossible your dream is.
“If you really want to, you’ll make it come true. I DID.”
Pavlak’s death is the latest in a string of high-profile tragedies involving bodybuilders.
In May a Majorcan bodybuilder who survived cancer and life-threatening peritonitis died aged 50.
Local news reports at the time attributed Xisco Serra’s premature death to “natural causes” after he suffered stomach problems.
The sports science graduate, who started lifting weights as a 16-year-old, began competing three decades ago and went on to take part in around 90 contests.
His most notable wins on the international stage have included Mr. World IBFA in Rome in 2011 and Mr. Universe IBFA in the 40-plus category in 2014, the same year he was voted overall Muscle Beach Champion after competing in Venice, California.
He was still competing last year when he was crowned champion of a competition held in Tenerife.
In April a Brazilian bodybuilder and fitness instructor died aged 29.
Doctors stated that Jonas Filho, known as Jonas Big, died due to Covid.
However, Filho was “fully vaccinated” and died in hospital after being put on a respirator.
His 10,400 Instagram followers were worried after Filho’s account published pictures of him on a respirator in a hospital in the city of Fortaleza soon after he was admitted.
He wrote alongside the snaps: “Only God knows the pain and tears of the clown.”
Just days earlier, his social media posts showed he was working out as normal.
In a previous post, referring to his humble upbringing in the north-east Brazilian state of Ceara, he wrote alongside a photo of him in the gym during a workout:
“Whoever comes from a poor family has only one option and one chance.
“The option to work to have the opportunity to turn the game around.
“And I don’t think about anything else.”
Days before Filho’s death, it emerged a Portuguese bodybuilder had also died aged 46 in Cologne, Germany.
Marco Luis, better known by his nickname of “Monster or Monstro” in his native language, worked as an online coach and motivator.
His Canadian-born wife Mariza Luis confirmed the sad news, saying the athlete was “in his ‘paradise’ doing what he loved.”
Marco Luis, who hailed from the volcanic island of Terceira in the Azores archipelago, had nearly 25,000 followers on Instagram, plus more on his YouTube channel.
He called bodybuilding his “life and passion.”
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