| Aziz Shavershian Азиз Сергеевич Шавершян |
|
|---|---|
| Born | Aziz Sergeyevich Shavershian 24 March 1989 Moscow, Russia[1] |
| Died | 5 August 2011 (aged 22) Bangkok, Thailand |
| Cause of death | Heart attack[2][3][4] |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Other names | Az |
| Ethnicity | Eurasian[5] |
| Alma mater | Marist College Eastwood[3] |
| Occupation | Bodybuilder, Personal Trainer, Internet celebrity, part-time stripper, Model[3] |
| Years active | 2007–2011 |
| Home town | Eastwood, New South Wales, Australia[3] |
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)[6] |
| Internet information | |
| Web alias(es) | Zyzz |
| Web hosting service(s) | YouTube |
| Signature phrase | "U mirin'?"[7] |
| Website | |
| www.facebook.com/zyzzthetics/ | |
Aziz Sergeyevich Shavershian (Russian: Азиз Сергеевич Шавершян, 24 March 1989 – 5 August 2011[3]) better known as his Internet persona, Zyzz,[2] was a Russian-born Australian bodybuilder, internet celebrity,[8][9] personal trainer, model and a part-time stripper who established a cult following[10][4] after posting multiple videos of himself on YouTube in 2007. In late July 2011 he came to more general media attention when the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper published an article about the arrest of his older brother, Said Shavershian, for illegal possession of anabolic steroids.[11] On 5 August 2011, whilst on holiday in Bangkok, Thailand, Aziz Shavershian suffered a heart attack and died, aged 22.[2][12]
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Shavershian was born in Moscow, Russia,[1] the youngest son of Maiane Iboian, who works in cardiology, and Sergei Shavershian.[3] He has one older brother, Said Shavershian, who is also known as their internet persona, "Chestbrah."[11][13]
In the early 1990s, Shavershian and his family moved to Australia.[14] He was raised in Eastwood, New South Wales,[3] and attended Marist College Eastwood Catholic secondary school, where he achieved Dux of the college,[3][15][16] with a UAI (now ATAR) score of 86.3.[17] Prior to his death in August 2011, he was to graduate from the University of Western Sydney, with a degree in business and commerce.[3][15][16] According to his Formspring, Shavershian and four of his friends were "keen" on moving to Melbourne, Australia, to live there "for good".[18]
Before becoming a bodybuilder, Shavershian had been described as a "skinny kid"[10][8][19] and an ectomorph.[20] Once he completed secondary school,[1] Shavershian who was inspired by his bodybuilder brother, joined a local gym and began training. He began learning about nutrition and training and applying it to his pursuit of becoming a bodybuilder.[20] His favourite professional bodybuilders included actor/politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Frank Zane.[20]
Originally, Shavershian wanted to become a bodybuilder to "impress girls". He would look at pictures of "shredded" bodybuilders and tell himself that he would one day be like them. Almost four years into training, Shavershian stated that:
| “ | I can safely say that my motivation to train goes far beyond that of merely impressing people, it is derived from the feeling of having set goals and achieving them and outdoing myself in the gym. I absolutely love it, the feeling of pushing out that last rep, and getting skin tearing pumps is something I don’t see myself without.[20] | ” |
Prior to his death, Shavershian had his own protein label, "Protein of the Gods", released in June 2011.[4][21] On 17 May 2011, Shavershian published a 66-page book, entitled "Zyzz's Bodybuilding Bible",[22] based on a compilation of bodybuilding knowledge he acquired over the four years of training.[8][23][24]
On 14 July 2011, Aziz' brother Said was arrested for possession of anabolic steroids.[11] The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper covered the case, and included a photo of Aziz.[7] Aziz objected to the use of his picture to illustrate what was essentially an article on the misuse of anabolic steroids;[8] Said pleaded gulity to the charge, and was fined $479 on 4 August.[11] When asked by The Daily Telegraph, Aziz denied ever using steroids, and claimed that his body shape was due to hard work in the gym and a strict diet[24]
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the company which employed Aziz as a stripper maintained that he was a lovely guy, "aside from the steroids".[25] Shavershian often used phrases such as "riding bicycles" that according to The Daily Telegraph is "gym slang for using a cycle of steroids".[13]
On 5 August 2011, Aziz Shavershian suffered a heart attack in a sauna, while on holiday in Bangkok, Thailand. He was taken to hospital, where doctors were unable to revive him.[8][12][3] His family and friends placed news of his death on Facebook, the social-networking site. His death was confirmed on Tuesday, 9 August, by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).[4]
A post-mortem examination revealed a previously undiagnosed congenital heart defect.[4] He had shown several minor symptoms in the few months leading up to August, including high blood pressure and occasional shortness of breath. He had a family history of heart problems.[4]
Shavershian's death has been linked to "skyrocketing" steroid abuse in Australia, where airport Customs made 2695 seizures of steroids and growth hormones in the 2010-11 year – a 155 per cent increase on the 1054 seizures of 2004-05.[13] Comments in an interview with Ten News following the death suggest that men preoccupied with their body-image and determined to achieve a sculpted body seem willing to risk such potentially dangerous short-cuts.[26]
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Shavershian's death was the sixth most searched death-related topic in Australia, during 2011.[27][28][10] Prior to his death, Shavershian had posted a video of himself on a social-networking site, which would later come out 18th on Nine News' "Top News Videos of the Year" for 2011.[29]
| Year | Series | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Underbelly: The Golden Mile | – | Extra[30] |
| 2011 | The National Road Trip | Zyzz | Multiple episodes. Currently in pre-production.[31] |