Mike Matarazzo dies at 48

[blm]

"Regrettably, we have just learned of the passing of former IFBB Pro bodybuilder, Mike Matarazzo. Mike Matarazzo had been suffering from heart problems since his open heart surgery in December of 2004, and according to Wikipedia, was admitted to the intensive care unit of Stanford hospital in Palo Alto due to heart complications. Sadly, he passed away today, Sunday August 17, 2004, at just 48 years old.

Mike Matarazzo, you will be missed and remembered." - FLEX

R.I.P. Mike Matarazzo | FLEX Online

[rado]

Sad...abuse of drugs took a huge toll on him.

[blm]

Surely. He was young.

[Bouncer]

shame

[BEAST]

Sad news indeed.

[Mr I]

Mike Matarazzo 1965-2014 - The Fans Favorite Passes | Muscular Development

Not many die that young, must have been genetic too.

Awsom torso and arms from the front and such a sad story, went from being everyones favourite fitness model to the elephant in the room left begging for money and unable to work.

[Bouncer]

Yea it's more then just an abuse of drugs. They played a huge role but..

I remember reading an article in flex when I was a kid, pretty sure his dad died at a young age of the same thing. What also stands out in my mind is that he was known to be red meat crazy. At one point he was eating something insane like 6 lbs of steak a day according to him.

He was going to have heart issues genetically, add in the crazy bodybuilding lifestyle and it sped up the process. He probably took 15 years off his life with the lifestyle he chose.

[MattG]

Always a sad day when an iron brother passes on. RIP Mike

[Herc]

Seems like all the giants of the 90s are dying. It's a shame.

[redback]

From wiki

Oh, god, where do I begin? I'd have to say that everything that led to my heart problem began the minute I started getting serious about competitive bodybuilding. In order to get bigger, I'd eat five, six, seven pounds of red meat a day, no vegetables. And I'd stay away from fruits because of their sugar.[10]
Worst were the chemicals. I have so many memories of being alone in a hotel room the week, five days or two days before a contest, and doing unspeakable things to my body—steroids, growth hormones, diuretics—anything and everything that we as bodybuilders do to achieve a certain look.
It has affected my whole life, so to all those guys who are on an eternal quest to have 21" arms and 20" calves, and who are so vain about their never-say-die attitude, I say, "Change your attitude." Worry about keeping that body of yours as healthy as possible, because it's going to have to last you not just through your next contest or to the end of your bodybuilding contract, but for a long time. And a long time for a human being is nothing. It goes by real quick, even quicker when your health is gone and you have nothing to stand live for.[11]

[redback]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=80anUAMGwLU

[Ashoprep]

rip buddy

[Bouncer]

From wiki

Oh, god, where do I begin? I'd have to say that everything that led to my heart problem began the minute I started getting serious about competitive bodybuilding. In order to get bigger, I'd eat five, six, seven pounds of red meat a day, no vegetables. And I'd stay away from fruits because of their sugar.[10]
Worst were the chemicals. I have so many memories of being alone in a hotel room the week, five days or two days before a contest, and doing unspeakable things to my body—steroids, growth hormones, diuretics—anything and everything that we as bodybuilders do to achieve a certain look.
It has affected my whole life, so to all those guys who are on an eternal quest to have 21" arms and 20" calves, and who are so vain about their never-say-die attitude, I say, "Change your attitude." Worry about keeping that body of yours as healthy as possible, because it's going to have to last you not just through your next contest or to the end of your bodybuilding contract, but for a long time. And a long time for a human being is nothing. It goes by real quick, even quicker when your health is gone and you have nothing to stand live for.[11]

funny how certain things stand out in your mind. we make fun of the muscle mags now but every once in awhile they had something worth a damn. that Mike Matarazzo tell all stood out in my mind so strong that I remembered the the meat thing after reading it just 1 time.

i wonder if that article i read so many years ago influenced me somehow in terms of playing the "bodybuilding game" but doing so in a much more healthy way. i dunno.

the other article from the mags that was very powerful to me was the interview with Tom Prince where he talks about taking 16-20 ibuprofin per day for years. i had seen him at the arnold classic just a year or 2 before he got sick and he was so massive. to see those pics of him sick at 130lbs was something I will never forget.

[Mr I]

Competitive bodybuilding is a young mans game.

Haney is about the best example of knowing when to hang it up. Every show he won he deserved

[Bouncer]

Competitive bodybuilding is a young mans game.

Haney is about the best example of knowing when to hang it up. Every show he won he deserved

Toney Freeman would disagree.

He still looks great but I do agree with you. He will probably keep going until he becomes a joke.