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The Brazilian bodybuilding influencer and content creator, 22, was found dead in the kitchen of his São Paulo apartment on Saturday, May 23, with police treating the case as a suspicious and sudden death. He had amassed more than 2.3 million followers on Instagram, 1.3 million on TikTok and 403,000 subscribers on YouTube.
A friend discovered Ganley's body face-down on the kitchen floor after asking building staff to break down the door when they had not heard from him since Thursday. The São Paulo Public Security Secretariat confirmed there were no apparent signs of violence at the scene.
No official cause of death has been determined. Brazilian media reported that Ganley may have suffered a hypoglycemic episode, a dangerous drop in blood glucose, which can occur as a side effect of insulin use or when a steroid user abruptly stops taking the drug. Forensics investigators seized several medications from the apartment, including what appeared to be anabolic steroids.
Ganley's mother said she last spoke to her son on Thursday night and that he told her he was feeling fine, with no complaints about his health. She said he had no history of heart disease.
The young athlete had previously promoted so-called natural bodybuilding before later admitting to using performance-enhancing substances. In an earlier social media post, he had spoken about experiencing chest pains, shortness of breath and fluid in the lungs after rapidly gaining nearly 44 pounds of muscle. He had been preparing to compete at Musclecontest Brazil, one of the country's biggest bodybuilding tournaments, scheduled for July.
His sponsor, supplement brand Integralmedica, announced his death Saturday with a heartfelt tribute. "Today we lost far more than a talented and dedicated athlete with a bright future ahead," the company wrote. "We lost a sports influencer who inspired thousands of young people daily with his energy, discipline and authenticity."
Fellow bodybuilder Renato Cariani wrote on Ganley's final Instagram post: "You will always be with us, kid."
