Arlindo de Souza, known as “the Brazilian Popeye”, died at the age of 55 in Recife due to complications from kidney failure.
de Souza had become famous for his excessively swollen arms, which he obtained by injecting a mixture of oil and alcohol, a dangerous practice that did not increase muscle strength but carried serious health risks.
At first one of his kidneys stopped working and around Christmas the second one. He then reportedly had fluid build up in his lungs and went into cardiac arrest before doctors could dialyze him.
His friend had died from the same injections
About 10 years ago de Souza revealed that he had lost a friend – named Paulinho – who had also used these dangerous methods.
“I felt his death very much,” she had said at the time, according to The Sun. “He got it, I got it, but he overstepped the mark. I do not advise anyone to take this oil. I’ve stopped taking it, like other things, but there’s always that urge to start again. But I manage to control myself, until today.” He eventually stopped injecting and devoted himself to warning younger athletes about their dangers.
de Souza was unmarried and had no children. He reportedly lived with his mother, who “does not yet know of his death because she is very old and bedridden.”
