A German Netflix star and bodybuilder collapsed and died in a gym while reportedly running on a treadmill just a day after posting a tragic last selfie.
Vittorio Pirbazari, 44, known for his villain role in Dogs of Berlin, passed away on Monday with fellow actor and filmmaker Said Ibrahim taking to Instagram to confirm the tragic news.
Ibrahim announced the death of his friend, writing: ‘Vito had a soft heart like a ten-year-old’. According to the actor, Pirbazari may have suffered a heart attack while on the treadmill but this is yet to be confirmed.
In January, the Netflix star uploaded a series of selfies from a hospital after undergoing surgery. He explained his right pectoral muscle had been torn and surgically reattached.
He took his 90,700 Instagram followers on his healing journey, but before his death, a near-fatal car accident set him back.
Pirbazari miraculously survived the ordeal, but suffered a fractured vertebra, tissue damage, and both of his legs required stitches.
Following a 12-week break from the gym after his accident, he decided to return on March 23. Then on Sunday, March 30, one day before he died, he posted what would become his last selfie.
He wrote beneath the image: ‘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’.
The muscle man explained that he had been working on his diet after not being fit enough to exercise for the last three months.
‘Unfortunately, I’ve put on a lot of muscle, but that’ll all come back when I can get going again,’ he said.
‘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.
‘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’.
The comment section beneath the post has since been flooded with fans paying tribute and leaving messages of condolence to the late star.
Further details of his death remain unclear, and German police have not yet provided any public updates on what caused Pirbazari’s sudden death.
The 44-year-old was formerly part of the well-known Hardgainer Crew – a group of successful fitness YouTubers. His channel had over 200,000 subscribers, but he quit a few years ago and stopped producing videos.
Pirbazari then became known beyond the fitness scene through the 2018 Netflix show Dogs of Berlin.
A photo that became particularly famous during filming showed Pirbazari, in his role as Daher Tarik, in a confrontation with a police officer. The image went viral online.
Pirbazari leaves behind his girlfriend and young son, who was born in 2020.