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Aziz Sergeyevich Shavershian (Template:Lang-ru; 24 March 1989 – 5 August 2011), better known by his Internet handle Zyzz, was a Russian-born Australian bodybuilder, internet personality, personal trainer, model and a part-time stripper who established a cult following after posting multiple videos of himself on YouTube, starting in 2007. In late July 2011 he came to more general media attention when The Sydney Morning Herald published an article about the arrest of his older brother, Said Shavershian, for illegal possession of anabolic steroids. On 5 August 2011, whilst on holiday in Bangkok, Thailand, Aziz Shavershian suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 22.

Biography

Shavershian was born in Moscow, Russia, the youngest son of Maiane Iboian, who works in cardiology, and Sergei Shavershian. He has one older brother, Said Shavershian, who is also known by his screenname "Chestbrah".

In the early 1990s, Shavershian and his family moved to Australia. He was raised in Eastwood, New South Wales, and attended Marist College Eastwood Catholic secondary school, where he achieved Dux of the college. Prior to his death in August 2011, he was to graduate from the University of Western Sydney, with a degree in business and commerce.

Bodybuilding

Before becoming a bodybuilder, Shavershian had been described as a "skinny kid" and an ectomorph. Once he completed secondary school, 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. His favourite professional bodybuilders included actor/politician Arnold Schwarzenegger and Frank Zane.

In an interview with bodybuilding website, Simplyshredded.com, Shavershian recalls that he originally wanted to become a bodybuilder to "impress girls". He says 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.

Prior to his death, Shavershian had his own protein label, "Protein of the Gods", released in June 2011. On 17 May 2011, Shavershian published a 66-page book, entitled Zyzz's Bodybuilding Bible, based on a compilation of bodybuilding knowledge he acquired over the four years of training.

Alleged steroid abuse

On 14 July 2011, Shavershian's brother Said was arrested for possession of anabolic steroids, to which after Aziz's death he pleaded guilty. The Sydney Morning Herald covered the case, and included a photo of Aziz. Aziz objected to the use of his picture to illustrate what was essentially an article on the misuse of anabolic steroids;

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. 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". Shavershian often used phrases such as "riding bicycles" that according to The Daily Telegraph is "gym slang for using a cycle of steroids".

Death and aftermath

On 5 August 2011, Aziz Shavershian suffered a heart attack in a sauna, while on holiday in Bangkok, Thailand. He was taken to a hospital, where doctors were unable to revive him. 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).

An autopsy revealed a previously undiagnosed congenital heart defect. His family stated 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.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Shavershian's death was the sixth most searched death-related topic in Australia, during 2011. 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.

Filmography

References

1. ^ Andrew Denny (11 August 2011). "Body Image" (Official YouTube video). Ten News. Network TEN (Australia). Retrieved 19 December 2011.
2. ^ Kennedy, Les (10 August 2011). "Sydney bodybuilder dies in Thailand sauna". Ninemsn. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
3. ^ de Brito, Sam (11 August 2011). "Zyzz ripped from this life too young". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
4. ^ "Heart condition 'behind bodybuilder's death'". Ninemsn. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
5. ^ Danks, Katherine (10 August 2011). "Facebook favourite and aspiring model, Aziz 'Zyzz' Shavershian, 22, dies in Thailand sauna". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
6. ^ Shavershian, Aziz. "Hey Zyzz. How old are you, weight and cm high?..." Formspring.me. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
7. ^ Georgina Robinson and Sarah Whyte (11 August 2011). "Shattered: body of bodybuilder 'Zyzz' heading home". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
8. Sas, Nick (12 November 2011). "Concerns of drug abuse at the gym". The West Australian. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
9. Themen, Verwandte (23 March 2012). "AHA! Sportler". Humanisticher Pressedienst. Retrieved 24 March 2012. Template:De icon
10. ^ Phillips, Liam (16 December 2011). "Death and disaster unleashed a flood of news in 2011". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
11. Berry, Sarah (12 January 2012). "Incredible bulk: a journey from fit to fanatical". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
12. ^ Whyte, Sarah (31 July 2011). "All pumped up, but tell us how?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
13. ^ The Age (11 August 2011). "Heart attack killed 'Zyzz'". The Age. Retrieved March 07, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); External link in |publisher= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
14. ^ Budd, Henry (15 August 2011). "Customs reveals steroid abuse is skyrocketing". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
15. Shavershian, Aziz. "How old were you when your family moved to australia?". Formspring.me. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
16. ^ Vollmer, Tim (11 August 2011). "Bodybuilder Aziz 'Zyzz' Shavershian killed by heart defect". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
17. ^ "Aesthetic bodybuilder Aziz 'Zyzz' Sergeyevich Shavershian's last posts". The Daily Telegraph. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
18. Jordan, Yerman (11 August 2011). "Zyzz: Amateur Bodybuilder Dies in Bangkok". NowPublic. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
19. ^ "Aesthetically Pleasing: Zyzz Shreddedshian Talks With Simplyshredded.com". Simplyshredded. 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
20. ^ "Boys and the buff culture". 2 October 2011. ABC. ABC NewsRadio. Retrieved 19 December 2011. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |began=, |serieslink=, |transcripturl=, |ended=, and |seriesno= (help); Missing or empty |series= (help); Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
21. Whyte, Sarah (7 August 2011). "Chestbrah fined". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
22. Baker, Jordan (2 September 2011). "Generation V buff, but not so pretty after dark". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
23. Olding, Rachel (7 December 2011). "Searches show our true cares". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
24. Grubb, Ben (7 December 2011). "Aussies more interested in iPhone than world's disasters: Google". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
25. "Top news videos of the year - 18 "Bodybuilder's bizarre video"". Ninemsn. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
26. Underbelly: The Golden Mile episode "The Kingdom Come"
27. "National Road Trip Series Preview". Filmotion Productions. Retrieved 7 March 2012. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)

External links

• Aziz on YouTube
• Aziz on Facebook

Template:Persondata

• Use dmy dates from August 2011
• 1989 births
• 2011 deaths
• Australian bodybuilders
• Australian Internet personalities
• Australian male models
• Australian people of Russian descent
• Deaths from myocardial infarction
• People from Sydney
• Russian bodybuilders
• Russian Internet personalities
• Russian male models
• Video bloggers