YouTuber Park Seung-hyun dies aged 35 after suffering 'health' issues

South Korean bodybuilding and YouTube star Park Seung-hyun has died, with his death shared on social media by his brother, who has asked for privacy for his family following the announcement

Bodybuilding star Park Seung-hyun, who had over 830,000 subscribers on YouTube, has died at the age of 35, it has been announced on social media.

The bodybuilder, who rose in popularity after he exposed steroid abuse in the bodybuilding industry, passed due to “health reasons,” according to the post which featured a framed photo of Seung-hyun surrounded by flowers.

“At 3.51pm on January 5, my younger brother Seung-hyun passed away due to health reasons,” the post said. “Our parents are deeply heartbroken, so we will not be receiving visitors at the memorial hall. Please pray for his peaceful rest in your hearts.” His family have not shared any more information about Seung-hyun’s death.

Three months ago after being silent on social media for months, he spoke about his struggles in a video he posted online. “I have been battling depression and receiving psychiatric treatment,' Seung-hyun said. “Financial difficulties have arisen because I haven’t been able to continue my YouTube activities. I feel lonely even though I shouldn’t. I will find my way back to myself and return someday.”

He also said he had gained weight by staying at home playing games and having food delivered to the home he shared with his mother, and shared a screenshot of his Instagram account to show his number of followers had dropped in recent months.

Seung-hyun became a prominent figure in 2019, when he admitted to the misuse of steroids and also exposed its widespread abuse in the bodybuilding community. He helped launch a movement aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of illegal drug use in sports, voluntarily reporting his own violations to authorities. He admitted that he had frequently used drugs and received a suspended sentence.

In recent weeks, Seung-hyun did return to post on YouTube, and uploaded his final fitness video just six days before he died, garnering 760,000 views. His fans rushed to add their condolences to the post on hearing of his death, with one writing: “Rest in peace. I hope you are happy in the sky.” Another added: “May his soul rest in peace.” Many of his followers described him as a “role model” and others shared how he inspired them with his fitness videos.

“I laughed while watching, and I exercised hard while watching him. I may not see you again but you were my best role model,” wrote one, while another said: “Feeling very sad. I’ve always cheered for you, thanks to you I watched a lot of exercise videos and enjoyed watching shorts. Whenever I miss you, I will watch this video and remember it. Rest in peace.”