Gabriel Freitas, a Brazilian reality TV star and fitness influencer who gained international attention for his remarkable 174-kg weight loss, has died at the age of 37. After initially shedding the weight, Mr Freitas regained it following the tragic loss of his father and brother. The influencer suffered a fatal heart attack in his sleep on December 30, as confirmed by his close friend Ricardo Gouvea, Express US reported.
Announcing the sad news, Ricardo said: "Gabriel died practically sleeping, he didn't suffer. He died trying. He fought to the end, he was very strong and I have a lot of respect for him. He was a very good person with a very good heart."
Mr Freitas inspired thousands with his remarkable transformation, sharing his weight loss struggles and successes on social media. His journey highlighted his personal discipline and determination and brought attention to the challenges of obesity and the importance of mental and physical health. His death has left his fans and followers in shock, as he was celebrated for his resilience and motivational content.
With over 700,000 followers on Instagram, Freitas' inspiring weight loss journey was well-documented on social media and YouTube. His story was first featured on the Brazilian TV show "Programa do Gugu" in 2017, where he shared his struggles and triumphs.
"My name is Gabriel Freitas, I'm 29 years old, I'm 1.94 metres tall, I weigh 320kg when I started my weight loss process and 10kg when I started recording for YouTube. I decided to share my struggle to lose weight with all of you in order to help you with motivation and to show that it is possible to lose weight without surgery or medication. Here you'll see all the changes from a guy who weighed 320kg to the body he always dreamed of. Welcome to my life," he shared in one of his videos.
Through sheer determination and a drastic lifestyle transformation, he achieved an incredible weight loss of 203kg in just a year and a half, slimming down to 114 kg.
Howeve, his remarkable weight loss journey was later derailed by a period of intense grief following the loss of his father and brother. He regained a significant amount of weight, eventually reaching 380 kg.
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