Zombie Boy (left) appeared in Lady Gaga's music video for "Born This Way." (YouTube)
Model and artist Rick Genest, who shot to fame in the music video to Lady Gaga’s hit "Born This Way," has reportedly died by suicide at the age of 32.
The Canadian-born model was known as "Zombie Boy" due to his distinctive all-over tattoos and extreme body modifications — a look that saw him cast alongside Gaga in the music video to her 2011 hit single, the pair playing a suited-up zombie couple.
Gaga today paid tribute to her “friend,” describing his suicide as “beyond devastating” and urging her millions of followers to pay attention to the mental health of their loved ones.
Genest reportedly died in his apartment in the Plateau-Mont-Royal neighborhood in Montreal, police told iHeart Radio.
As well as his starring appearance in the Lady Gaga video, Genest booked frequent modelling jobs in magazines like Vanity Fair and GQ, as well as several small film roles.
Genest, who had over 350k Instagram followers, posted what appears to be a haunting final message to his account just nine hours ago — an apparently self-penned poem titled "The Well" which speaks of being “in front of deaths (sic) old narrow gates:”
iHeart reports that Genest is survived by parents Roch Genest and Catheryne Chappelle as well as two younger siblings.
This article originally appeared in news.com.au.
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