A female bodybuilding influencer has unexpectedly died just three days after celebrating her 35th birthday.
Johanna Perez, a fitness star from Panama, had nearly 46,000 Instagram followers and was lovingly known as Johafit to fans.
Her content had been mostly dedicated to promoting nutrition tips and sharing her workout routines.
A Panamanian bodybuilder died suddenly just three days after turning 35
Highlights
- Johanna Perez suddenly died three days after her 35th birthday.
- Family confirmed Perez's passing, inviting fans to a memorial celebrating her "vibrant spirit."
- Perez's cause of death remains undisclosed and unexpected.
Image credits: johafit14
“On the 23rd of October, our beloved Johanna Perez found eternal peace,” it read. “Her kindness and joy live on in our hearts.”
The family also invited her fans and friends to participate in a memorial happening today to “honour her beautiful soul,” and told attendees to wear colorful clothes as an homage to her “vibrant spirit.”
Her cause of death has not been publicly revealed, but it is not believed that the influencer had been struggling with any long-term health issues.
One of the bodybuilder’s final posts on social media featured her smiling, holding birthday balloons, and celebrating with friends and family.
The caption read, “Thank you God for giving me another wonderful and magical year of life, may it be filled with love, health, desire, money, happiness, strength and peace.
“Thank you for allowing me to live each day doing what I love, surrounded by wonderful people, adding incredible experiences, and fulfilling all my goals little by little.”
Perez’s unexpected death came as a shock to many of her followers
Image credits: johafit14
Tributes quickly poured in following the announcement.
In a translation acquired by Daily Mail, one person wrote, “Without knowing you, I am mourning the loss of you, knowing that I will not find your good content anymore.”
Another added, “You could see how beautiful she was inside. May she rest in peace.”
It is unclear whether authorities are looking into the cause of death.
Some netizens, however, have been offering theories on how she may have passed.
“It isn’t a mystery,” one person wrote. “It might appear unusual to those that don’t know, but I’ve heard of many bodybuilders who after competitions die because of what they put their bodies through to compete.”
Another echoed something similar, “No female develops muscles like that without the assistance of drugs, those drugs cause damage in the body including heart damage. Not much of a mystery, I guess she thought the risks were worth it.”
Perez’s passing comes about a month after the death of the world’s “most monstrous bodybuilder”
Image credits: johafit14
Earlier in September, another well-known bodybuilding influencer in their 30s passed away.
Illia “Golem” Yefimchyk from Belarus died at his home on September 6 after he suffered a heart attack and fell into a coma.
The 36-year-old would eat a total of seven meals per day, which equated to 16,000 daily calories, to maintain his physique.
It was reported that his wife, Anna, tried to perform chest compressions while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
“I prayed all this time, hoping that Illia would recover,” she said to Belarusian media.