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Lady Gaga's 'Zombie Boy' dead at 32
Canadian model Rick Genest, who was known as ‘Zombie Boy’ due to his body art, is dead at 32 years old. According to TMZ, the video star died from an apparent suicide.
Rick first rose to fame after he appeared in Lady Gaga’s music video for ‘Born This Way’ in 2011.
Following the music video, the model helped relaunch Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Wear label in Europe in 2012 and began to model for magazines, including GQ and Vanity Fair.
Rick, who holds a Guinness World Record for most insect tattoos (176) and another for most human bone tattoos (139), got his first tattoo when he was 16. By the time he was 19, his body was covered in ink.
He was found dead in his apartment by Montreal Police, would have been 33 years old on August 7.
Lady Gaga was quick to show her love for Genest on Twitter.
The suicide of friend Rick Genest, Zombie Boy is beyond devastating. We have to work harder to change the culture, bring Mental Health to the forefront and erase the stigma that we can’t talk about it. If you are suffering, call a friend or family today. We must save each other. pic.twitter.com/THz6x5JlpB
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) August 3, 2018
At the age of 15, the model discovered that he had a brain tumor, the surgery to remove it had the possibility of killing him or leaving him disfigured. The operation was a success; however, he had 50 percent of his brain removed, according to The Mirror.
“As it happened, the operation to remove the tumour went without a hitch, but since then, I’ve known life was too short to not fulfil my dreams of tattoos and body modifications,” he said.
Lady Gaga — who is also 32— has battled with her own mental health problems in the past, admitting she has “struggled for a long time” during an awards acceptance speech in January.
If you’re experiencing feelings of anxiety or depression contact Beyond Blue, Batyr or PANDA for support.
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