German Netflix star and bodybuilder Vittorio ‘Vito’ Pirbazari died aged 44 when he collapsed at the gym while reportedly running on a treadmill. The incident happened only a day after he had posted a progress selfie on his Instagram.
Pirbazari’s death was confirmed by his friend
Pirbazari’s death was announced online by his fellow actor and filmmaker Said Ibrahim, who broke the news on Instagram.
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Ibrahim announced his friend’s death online, writing “Vito had a soft heart like a ten-year-old” in the emotional post reported by German newspaper Bild.
Pirbazai was an actor and bodybuilder
Pirbazari was prominently known for his role in the Netflix series Dogs of Berlin. He also appeared on the German crime series Tatort.
The actor was also a bodybuilder and fitness influencer. According to Ibrahim who broke the news, the actor may have suffered a heart attack while running on the treadmill. However, his cause of death is yet to be confirmed.
The actor had had surgery in January
At the start of the year in January, Pirbazari uploaded a series of images that showed his recovery from a surgery where his right pectoral muscle had been torn and surgically reattached.
He also miraculously survived a near-fatal car accident before his death.
But he had gone back to the gym
After a 12-week recovery from the car accident which saw him stop going to the gym, the bodybuilder returned to exercising with enthusiasm on March 23.
He had been sharing his journey back with his followers, and his latest post was a day before he passed.
Pirbazari posted a selfie a day before he died
On March 30, one day before he died, Pirbazari posted a progress selfie on Instagram, which would become his last image.
He had captioned the progress picture, “My current form after 12 weeks without exercise or much exercise. Of course, it’s no comparison to before, but I’m on the right track given the circumstances.”
Pirbazari had been working on his diet
The actor and bodybuilder shared that he had been working on perfecting his diet after having not been fit enough to exercise for the previous three months.
He wrote, “Unfortunately, I’ve put on a lot of muscle, but that’ll all come back when I can get going again.”
The actor was happy to be back
“I’m happy to be back in the gym at all and am focusing entirely on leg training and cardio. I’m trying intervals on the treadmill right now, but since my legs aren’t 100% healed yet, I’m taking it slowly,” Pirbazari wrote.
“The only thing that’s important to me right now is not to give up and to let go, and to get better day by day, week by week. Have a nice Sunday friends,” he added.
The comment section is now filled with tribute messages
The comment section beneath the post is now filled with tribute messages to the actor and fitness influencer.
Details on his death remain unclear as German police have not provided any public updates yet.
Pirbazari was known on several platforms
The actor and bodybuilder was formerly part of the well-known fitness YouTubers group Hardgainer Crew. He had a large following on the video platform before he stopped uploading videos.
He then joined the Netflix show Dogs of Berlin in 2018 and later went viral for his role in the show. Pirbazari is survived by his girlfriend and son.
