Popular bodybuilder Gustavo Badell passed away on July 13, 2023, at the age of 50. His cause of death is yet to be announced, and he was reportedly suffering from kidney problems.
Owner and CEO of Eddie Abbew's Olympian Gym, Edward Abbew shared two pictures and wrote that one of them was clicked in Florence, Italy, in 2007. He continued:
"I got to spend a weekend with Gustavo Badell. We had a great laugh. We did a seminar together answering questions from the crowd. The crowd also watched us train together. He was very strong and put me to shame."
He added that he participated at Mr. Olympia: "I woke up this morning to information that Gustavo has passed away. My heart goes out to his family and friends. Gustavo was ten years younger than me. It is always sad when a young person is taken away long before their time."
Muscle Insider also paid tribute to Badell by posting that he was an inspiration to many. Born on November 3, 1972, Gustavo Badell started pursuing his passion for bodybuilding at a very young age. After lifting weights for a while, his body got the perfect shape that was needed for competition when he was only 19.
He first participated in the Junior Caribbean Bodybuilding Championships in 1991. Following his victory at the Caribbean Championships in 1997, he got his pro card and went on to compete in the IFBB Amateur World Championships. He then continued to participate in various other competitions.
He finished 14th in the International Federation of Bodybuilders Night of Champions and first in the Ironman Pro Invitational in 2005. He participated in the San Francisco Pro Invitational the following year, where he emerged as the winner.
He also won the Atlantic City Pro in 2009 and competed against Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler at the Challenger round in Mr. Olympia in 2005. He later retired from competitive bodybuilding but continued to maintain his fitness.
Gustavo Badell was also active on Instagram, with around 37,000 followers. His Instagram bio had a link to his YouTube channel where he had 113 subscribers. The channel was inactive for five years.