Montreal model Rick Genest, better known as Zombie Boy, has died.
Police said he took his own life.
Genest was known for his tattoos that covered his body from head to toe, many of which depicted parts of a skeleton and internal organs.
His unique appearance earned him a role in pop star Lady Gaga's video 'Born This Way', and that visibility helped him get several modelling opportunities with leading fashion designers.
On Thursday the singer posted a message to her Twitter account saying "the suicide of friend Rick Genest, Zombie Boy is beyond devastating."
She called on people in pain and mental distress to reach out to loved ones for help – and if you know someone who is in pain, reach out to them.
His close friend and manager Karim S. Leduc said Rico – as his friends knew him – was a giving artist and collaborator with “an abundance of humility.”
“Rico… was a very sensitive and very special human,” he said. “Especially in the artistic world where humility and gratitude are very rare, he had an abundance of it and he was always willing to give himself and lend himself to any artist who wanted to collaborate with him, because he was that kind of person.”
Leduc expressed “disbelief, shock, devastation” over his friend’s death. “He was more than a client, we became close friends. We had brotherly love for each other. I personally watched out for him in all his projects and all his adventures.”
Genest’s agency Dulcedo Management posted a short message on Facebook Thursday saying it was "shocked and saddened by this tragedy."
The company wrote: “Icon of the arts scene and the world of fashion, this innovator, against the current of popular culture, charmed all hearts.”
Dulcedo said it learned about Genest's death on Thursday afternoon and sent team members to support Genest's family and loved ones.
Leduc said he doesn’t believe his friend killed himself, calling Genest a “poet” who was always upfront about his mental health struggles.
“We believe, the close ones to him, that if it was suicide he would have left a note of some kind to us. He would have somehow given us a sign or a communication of some sort, but he didn’t,” he said.
Officials from Suicide Action Montreal said that unfortunately people don’t always communicate how they are feeling, which is why it’s important to seek help if you are contemplating suicide.
There are many ways to get help if contemplating suicide.
Suicide Action Montreal has many resources available to help those who need help dealing with a crisis.
