Portuguese bodybuilder Marco Cesar Aguiar Luis, also known as "Monster," who claimed to be the most 'shredded ever' died in Germany at the age of 46, his heartbroken wife confirmed. Luis, known by his nickname "Monstro" in his native language, had a massive fan following on social media, where he identified himself as an online coach and motivator.
The reason behind the bodybuilder's death has not been revealed yet. His Canadian-born wife, Mariza Luis, is trying to bring back his body. Mariza, who also did regular gym workouts, shared on Facebook a video of her partner flexing his biceps and asked for privacy during her time of grieving.
Unexpected Death
Confirming Luis' death, Mariza wrote, "I'm the wife of Marco Luis Monster. I'm not into publications, let alone of this sort, but after so many messages, YES, I can confirm that Marco has died in Cologne, in Germany.
"He was in his 'paradise' doing what he loved," she said of the muscleman.
"Thank you in advance for all the support I've received, you've been tireless. As Marco died in a foreign country, I will have to bring his body back to Portugal after it is released which may take a few days.
"I ask for everyone's understanding at this difficult time and please I ask for RESPECT!
"Marco may have had his own way of thinking and acting but he was a humble person and never hurt anyone."
Pal Flavio Gouveia wrote a touching tribute to Luis on social media: "I have lost a great friend. I am not one for many words, I didn't want to believe it when I heard the news.
"From the first day I entered your house in your gym we always got along well, there was a great friendship right away.
"We trained many times together, we did great workouts together, you were always a person of good will, cheerful, fighting for your dreams, and who always thought about helping others, you never gave up on your dreams, on training and growing, it was what you loved to do!
"My condolences to your wife Marco Luis Monstro."
Star in His Own Right
As of today, the precise circumstances surrounding Marco Luis's death remain unclear. Hailing from the volcanic island of Terceira in the Azores archipelago, he had amassed nearly 25,000 followers on Instagram alone.
He maintained his own YouTube channel, where his leading video was titled "A story of overcoming challenges in life and motivation, from being disabled to becoming a winner."
In an emotional online biography, Marco Cesar Aguiar Luis, whose full name was Marco Cesar Aguiar Luis, recounted his struggles, stating: "I was born on May 7, 1977, on Terceira Island, a small island in Portugal."
"I was born with physical problems that made it impossible for me to do sports and at the age of 20, when I started Judo, I soon saw that my passion was muscle and with the help of my father we made cement weights and I started training at home and it was at home that I always trained, buying weights and machines little by little, and today, after 26 years, I have a gym with the bare minimum.
"In other words, I have never trained in commercial gyms. I was natural until I was 32 because I didn't even know what chemistry was and it wasn't until I was 40, in 2018 that I competed for the first time and won.
"But before competing I made some training videos and put them on my YouTube and due to my condition, skin quality and vascularity I was recognized by American motivation video producers such as MAKAVELLI, ALWAYS MASSIVE, MIND PUMP MOTIVATION, and many others.
"Through these videos I received sponsorship proposals even without ever going on stage. something that outraged Portuguese athletes as I was the first Portuguese to be sponsored by an American brand, becoming the image of the brand after leaving Flex Wheeler."
Last month, influencer and powerlifting champion Rhayara Morais was found dead in her apartment.
Rhayara, who commanded nearly 150,000 followers on Instagram and claimed to have half a million fans on TikTok, won a regional powerlifting championship after taking up the sport around two years ago.
