Legendary bodybuilder Varinder Singh Ghuman has passed away at the age of 42.
According to reports, Ghuman suffered a heart attack while he was being treated at a hospital for a shoulder injury, which lead to his tragic death on Thursday afternoon.
Fortis Escorts Hospital has since released a statement regarding the matter.
It read: ‘Varinder Singh Ghuman was evaluated in the OPD on October 6 for pain and restricted movement in his right shoulder.
‘Following clinical assessment, arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with biceps tenodesis was advised. The patient had no known comorbidities.
‘At approximately 3:35 PM, the patient developed a sudden cardiac arrhythmia. The anaesthesia, cardiology, cardiac anaesthesia, and critical care teams immediately initiated advanced resuscitation measures.
Legendary bodybuilder Varinder Singh Ghuman has passed away at the age of 42
According to reports, Ghuman suffered a heart attack while he was being treated at a hospital
‘Despite sustained and coordinated efforts, the patient could not be revived and was declared dead at 5:36pm’.
Ghuman – who hailed from Gurdaspur, India – was hailed as one of the world’s first vegetarian, professional bodybuilders after his success just over a decade ago.
Ghuman won Mr. India in 2009 before finishing runner-up at Mr. Asia. He also represented India at international bodybuilding competitions across the globe.
His endeavors in the sport saw him gain recognition form the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who later hired Ghuman to promote his health products in Asia.
The tragic news comes amid a spate of bodybuilding deaths. At least six other bodybuilders have died in the past six months.
In late July, Spanish bodybuilding star Lorena Blanco died at age 37 of a suspected heart attack while she was preparing to travel to Las Vegas to compete at Ms. Olympia.
A month prior, Colombian bodybuilder Zunilda Hoyos Mendez was killed in a horrific hammer attack in Spain at age 43 after telling her husband she wanted a divorce.
Her husband, Jarrod Gelling, was also found dead with knife wounds that police believe was a suicide.
Ghuman won Mr. India in 2009 before finishing runner-up at Mr. Asia during his storied career
In May, a pair of Brazilian weightlifters died within a week of each other. On May 6, 30-year-old bodybuilding champion Gui Bull died due to asphyxiation. Just days later, another 30-year-old – Wanderson da Silva Moreira – passed away while competing in the Pantanal bodybuilding championship.
In April, male bodybuilder and actor Vito Pirbazari died at age 44 from a heart attack after collapsing on a treadmill.
And back in March, a 20-year-old bodybuilder – Jodi Vance – died when her heart stopped due to ‘severe dehydration’, according to a statement from her family.
Research published by the European Society of Cardiology earlier this year reveals that ‘sudden cardiac death is responsible for an unusually high proportion of deaths in male bodybuilders worldwide with the highest risk among professional bodybuilders.’
That report found that professional bodybuilders were at five-times the risk for a sudden cardiac death than amateur bodybuilders.
