The most famous tattooed model Rick Genest, better known under the pseudonym Zombie Boy (“Boy Zombie”) committed suicide at the age of 32 years. The body was found in his apartment in the Plateau-Mont-Royal area in Montreal, Canada at 17:00 on Wednesday, August 1 - police representatives told Radio Canada about the incident.
The fact of his death was confirmed by representatives of the modeling agency in which he worked - they wrote about this on their Facebook account. The statement said: “The whole family is shocked by this tragedy. The Zombie Boy, Rico, was loved by all who had the pleasure of getting to know him and knowing him. An icon of the art scene and the fashion world, this innovator, contrary to popular culture, could charm any heart."
Genest first came to public attention when he covered his entire body in tattoos from head to toe - he still holds the Guinness record for the most tattoos on his body. In total, he had 176 tattoos, of which 139 were in the form of human bones. The number of these images earned him another world record.
"Zombie Boy" was born and raised in the disadvantaged area of La Salle in Montreal, in the Canadian province of Quebec. He spent part of his life on the street: at the age of 16 he got his first tattoo, and at 17 he had already run away from home. His love of dark subjects was the result of a diagnosis he was given at the age of 15 with an inoperable brain tumor.
Perhaps because the doctors couldn't cure him, he decided to paint a new skull on top of his own.
By the end of the transformation of a young man from Canada into a "living zombie", 90% of his body was covered with tattoos. According to the Guinness Book of Records, most of his tattoos were done by Canadian artist Frank Lewis. After Genest became famous on the Internet, designers in Paris and Berlin noticed his unusual appearance, from that moment his modeling career began.
In an interview with numerous portals, he explained that the integrity of the composition was the merit of his tattoo artist, and he wanted to depict different types of death on himself.
Like all celebrities, literally "made themselves", Rick Genest was a hostage to his image. He spoke about this on the air of Radio Canada in 2016, radio host Penelope McQuaid shared his words. British artist Mark Quinn has even planned to create a 3.5m bronze sculpture for the London Science Museum next year. In March 2018, Quinn spoke about his decision: “I find him [Genesta — Gazeta.Ru] amazing.
He is an artist. He himself is a work of art."
Zombie Boy rose to prominence in 2011 with Lady Gaga's iconic music video for the single Born This Way. At one of the shows, Gaga's stylist saw him, and after a couple of months, her representatives happily invited Genest to shoot. The YouTube video has already been viewed by more than 231 million people.
In addition to fashion shows and filming in videos, in 2012 Zombie Boy became the face of a major cosmetics company. In the commercial, his entire body and face were covered with foundation, thus showing the dense coverage and durability of the product. At the very beginning of the advertisement, Genest, almost unrecognizable without his tattoos, sat on a chair, and the inscription appeared on the screen: “How do you rate the book?”. After that, he personally wiped the foundation off his face. The video has collected more than five million views on the Internet alone.
Not so long ago, the world of show business was shocked by the news - Zombie Boy died: the cause of death was suicide. Outrageous model found in her apartment in Montreal. As evil tongues prophesied, the tattoos led him straight to a meeting with the devil himself.
Zombie Boy found dead in his Montreal apartment, cause of death
According to information from various sources, it is known that model, actor and artist Rick Genest passed away on August 1, 2018. The cause of his death is believed to have been suicide. However, there is still no official confirmation of this information. The dead body of Zombie Boy was found in his apartment, which is located in Canada, in the city of Montreal. He was supposed to celebrate his 33rd birthday on August 7th.
The first person who expressed words of respect to Rick Genest was his close friend Stephanie Germanotta. She is also known as the popular pop singer Lady Gaga. She was one of the first to speak publicly about his death. Her words tried to convey to the public that the death of the idol of millions should not lead fans to the destruction of their lives. She encourages everyone to work more on the psychological component of their lives and prevent similar incidents in the future. Anyone who feels unwell should report it to loved ones or contact support.
Therapist: for Zombie Boy, every tattoo was a "dose"
Rick Genest gained popularity in 2011 after starring in Lady Gaga's video for the song "Born This Way", then participated in many fashion shows. Upon learning of the incident, Lady Gaga wrote on Twitter that she was “more than devastated” by this news.
“We need to do more to change the culture, bring mental health to the fore and eliminate the stigma that we can't talk about it. If you're suffering, call a friend or family today. We have to save each other,” wrote Lady Gaga.
Rick Genest entered the Guinness Book of Records as the person with the most insect and bone tattoos. At least 90% of his body was covered in ink drawings.
Genest got his first tattoo after undergoing brain tumor surgery at 15. According to a Canadian radio station, his nickname originated at that time.
Associate Professor of the Institute of Psychology and Education of Kazan Federal University, candidate of psychological sciences, psychotherapist Ramil Garifullin, on the air of Sputnik radio, expressed an opinion on what was the reason for Rick Genest's decision to cover almost his entire body with tattoos.
“Here it is correct to say not that tattoos lead to some kind of psychological states. On the contrary, initially there is already a certain psychological state - depression, emptiness, some loss of meanings, values. In a word, suffering. And in this case, people are looking for various mechanisms in order to somehow “attach” to life, to organize life affirmation. At the same time, a tattoo is not just a drawing, it is, first of all, the process of its application, in which there is an overcoming, a test. And after that, for a while, a person acquires a certain uplift of spirit, and the problems of depression, emptiness that he used to have seem to disappear, ”said Ramil Garifullin.
He believes that Rick Genest's main problem was that he was addicted, that is, he was attached to certain values, without which he could no longer live.
“It must be admitted that this personality, most likely, was additive, that is, it was easily attached to various values, without which it would have experienced depression. Such values can be not only drugs, alcohol, but also tattoos. Therefore, addiction, as an addiction, is often the basis for the fact that a person draws himself, and not because he just wants to set a record, but because he has a limited body area, and attacks of the need to receive a dose of experience in the process of drawing happen more and more often , so, of course, he (Rick Genest - ed.) was all painted. That is, tattoos, their application are often the product of this addiction, ”said the psychotherapist.
Rick Genest suffered from mental disorders
When the guy was 15 years old, he underwent a major operation to remove a brain tumor. As his biographers note, after Rick's worldview changed, he began to "flirt with death."
From the age of 16, Zombie Boy began to cover his body with tattoos. In total, he had 139 bone tattoos and 176 insect tattoos. For this, the guy was included in the Guinness Book of Records.
Even before he appeared on the covers of magazines, Rick attracted attention with his unusual appearance. People just on the streets asked permission to take pictures with him for money.
Once a guy approached him and offered to take a picture for the international magazine Dress to Kill. It was then that the Italian designer Nicolas Formichetti, creative director of MUGLER and fashion director of Lady Gaga, drew attention to him.
Zombie Boy starred in Lady Gaga's music video for "Born This Way", which was nominated for Best Female Artist at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.
There was Zombie Boy in Ukraine, in particular, in Donetsk, where he came as a DJ to a party in one of the city's nightclubs. During the visit, he complained about communication difficulties caused by the fact that very few people speak English fluently.
Rick Genest is a man with unique tattoos who got into the Guinness Book of Records. Canadian "Zombie Boy", actor, model, born in 1985. He is known for his intimidating tattoos on his body.
Perhaps not all people have heard the name Rick Genest, but if you show a photo of this young man, then many will recognize him. His appearance is so specific and original that, having seen this once, it will not be possible to forget.
Zombie Boy Photo: Rick Genest
His whole body is covered with tattoos, but this is not what attracts attention to himself. At the suggestion of his tattoo masters, he managed to create amazing drawings on the body that are difficult to find anywhere else. These are not the notorious hieroglyphs, abstract drawings, words, philosophical symbols, that is, what has already become commonplace. On the contrary, Rick went the other way, turning the body into a real anatomical theater, where almost every centimeter of the area is occupied by the image of bones, tendons, muscle fibers, ligaments. He did not forget about applying decorative ornaments and even frightening drawings in the form of beetles.
He did not ignore his face, also making it a testing ground. Perhaps his hallmark is the image of the brain, impeccably applied to the cranium.
First steps in transformation
He himself finds it difficult to say exactly when he felt in himself the desire to transform the body so early it happened. According to some sources, he applied his first tattoo at 15, according to other sources at 16 (and he was born in 1985). He had dreamed of doing this before, but he held himself back out of respect for his parents so as not to shock them too much. And having embarked on the road of independence and growing up, he set off on the chosen path.
Immediately after graduation, the young man left his parental home, he had his own goals in life. Perhaps his worldview was influenced by a rather difficult childhood, where he had to undergo a complex operation to remove a brain tumor.
Yes, life is too short, and it can end at any moment even at a young age, so you should live it the way you want: brightly and even in some ways crazy. Another feature of the tattoos of a young man is that they are created with amazing anatomical accuracy, arranged in accordance with the structure of the human body.
Rick was lucky in that he collaborated with talented craftsmen who put their soul into their bodies and helped him create sketches, discussing every centimeter. In addition to anatomical accuracy, it was decided to shock the public in order to show not only the body, but also some physiological, putrefactive processes that occur in organic tissue during decomposition.
Bottom line: People are shocked when they see that Rick looks like a living but decomposing corpse.
Way to success
In many ways, the glory of the young man was facilitated by the Internet, the active development of social networks. The outrageous guy began to conquer the world wide web by posting his photos on numerous popular social networks, in particular, on Facebook. This calculation was justified, and a year later, statistics showed that more than one and a half million people came to his Facebook page.
Among them were not just onlookers and thrill-seekers who lack the courage for similar experiments with their bodies, but also people of art, fashion, who began to invite Battle Zombie to their projects. For example, an invitation came from the famous designer Nicolas Formichetti, he wanted to draw attention to his fashion shows in this way. This calculation was justified, people gladly accepted the Zombie of the battle as a fashion model, a model.
This was followed by even more interesting proposals, for example, to star in the video of a famous singer who performed one of her most famous hits "Born this way". Especially for filming, the singer was also painted with similar images on Rick's skin. That is how, step by step, this ordinary Canadian teenager began to turn into a real celebrity.
Still far from ideal
If you look at the Battle Zombies with a cursory glance, it seems that the drawings are very complex: they are intertwined, partially overlap each other, some of them are symmetrical or asymmetrical. In general, the feeling is as if you have to look at the rotting corpse of a person without skin. However, Zombie Fight himself knows perfectly well every millimeter of skin, every bend, shape. He says that it is still far from being completely ideal, so he developed a whole plan of action, implying that the modifications have not yet ended.
If you go to the official website, you can see information where he talks in detail about choosing his path, about the process of tattooing, he does not hide the amount of investment. He spent about $17,000 on the transformation.
Zombie Combat Phenomenon
It is not surprising that the overwhelming success and increased attention to the person became the reason that people began to actively experiment with their bodies. Interest in tattoos of similar subjects has increased. However, so far no one has dared to make such radical changes. On Twitter, the guy has over 50,000 followers, and on Facebook, the number of followers is also in the tens of thousands. There are even 65 groups dedicated to him.
Already in 2011, experts from the Guinness Book of Records drew attention to him, putting his name on their pages. He is noted as the person with the largest number of images of insects inscribed on the body. When counting, it turned out that 178 beetles of various types are depicted on the skin of the Battle Zombie.
Filmmakers and other people of art still continue to show interest in the guy, inviting him to their films. True, giving small roles and using it, rather, as an opportunity to emphasize the special surroundings of their cinematic works.
It is not known for certain how much a shocking man earns, since his name really thunders all over the world. However, it is known that he does not at all strive for the possession of material values, prefers to live a modest life. And in general, information often flickers in the press that Zombie fight is not very interested in material values, he lives by his own rules, where the main place is occupied not by money, but by the ability to transform himself and use such an unusual way to send a message to the world about your worldview.
Cause of death
The death of Rick Genest became known on August 3, 2018. He was found dead at his home in Montreal, Canada. Death occurred on August 1, its cause was suicide.
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Last Wednesday, the world of show business was shocked by the news - Zombie Boy died: the cause of death is suicide. Outrageous model found in her apartment in Montreal. As evil tongues prophesied, the tattoos led him straight to a meeting with the devil himself.
Zombie Boy found dead in his Montreal apartment
Biography
Rick Genest was born on August 7, 1985 in Canada, in the city of Chateau, a suburb of Montreal. His family was the most ordinary, his mother and father were simple hard workers in the province of Quebec.
Rick made his first tattoo at the age of 16. Previously, he did not dare to take a rebellious step because of respect for his parents. The case that prompted Rick to this act is the victory over cancer.
Rick beat cancer at 15
At the age of 15, the guy underwent surgery and a brain tumor was removed. As Rick himself said: "I became dependent on death." This situation has become a kind of "kick" in a new, full of opportunities, life. It was meant to be a long and happy...
After school, Zombie Boy left his parents and went to fulfill his dreams. For 6 whole years he filled the skin of the body with drawings as much as possible. Montreal tattoo artist Frank Lewis helped him in this. It was with him that the idea was invented to transform all the variety of tattoos into one single drawing - the human skeleton.
Tattoo artist Frank Lewis helped draw Rick's skeleton on his body
Soon, Rick Genest became famous for his eccentric image of a walking skeleton, and was twice listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
The Canadian model holds the record for the most beetle and larvae tattoos at 176 and full bone sketches at 139.
Collaboration with Lady Gaga and Nicolas Formichetti
Zombie Boy began his career as a fashion model in 2010, when famous designer Nicolas Formichetti stumbled upon his Facebook page. At that time, the trendsetter worked closely with Lady Gaga.
Zombie Boy and Lady Gaga
In 2011, Rick began to take part in fashion shows. Already at the beginning of the year, the “walking corpse man” was seen in the Mugler Fall-Winter collection. The designer himself said that it was Rick's defiant style that prompted him to create this collection.
In February 2011, Rick starred in Lady Gaga's famous music video Born This Way, in which the singer herself recreates the image of a human skeleton by copying Zombie Guy's tattoo sketches.
Rick Jenets and Lady Gaga in her "Born This Way" video
Over time, Genest has become a trendsetter's favorite and from an unknown Canadian teenager has turned into a well-known highly paid model. Not a single show was held without the assistance of Zombie Boy. He became a kind of chip, thanks to which Nicolas Formichetti spread his brand to the masses.
Upon learning of the sad news, the modeling business agency Dulcedo management, with which Rick has recently collaborated, expressed sympathy to all relatives and friends: “We understand that the words of grief will not return our star boy to us, but still, we mourn like you. This is an irreparable loss. There are very few such bright and generous people on this earth. The main thing is not to be influenced by the media - he did not take drugs and was sober. We are sure of it!”
A good friend who has supported Zombie Boy throughout his creative journey, Lady Gaga, tweeted a post in which she speaks of an irreplaceable loss: “All I feel after the death of my good friend and assistant Rick Genest is devastation. Dear subscribers, I am yelling at you to put cognitive health first. We must forget about the prejudice that we are not allowed to talk about our mental problems and disorders. We must help each other. If you have problems, ask your friends and family for help, don't expect everything to stop soon. Yes, it will stop, but what will happen to you?
Rick Genest had a mental disorder caused by brain cancer
According to some sources, it is known that Rick Genest had a mental disorder, at one time caused by brain cancer.
last years of life
Before his death, Zombie Boy worked with Mike Riggs on his new album. In addition, taking into account the posts on the Instagram network, it is known that he was involved in the Orange Door charity project, which was to help young people who found themselves without a permanent place of residence.
Throughout his life, Rick Genest never rested on his laurels, he always went forward. Friends and acquaintances spoke of him as a modest and kind person, always ready to help in a difficult situation. The dream of his whole life was the creation of a kind of community where all his friends and acquaintances would be happy.
Personal life
Zombie Boy has never shared the secrets of his personal life with the media.
But, it is known that the extravagant guy maintained a warm relationship with the popular transgender model from Croatia, Andrea Pejic. Photos appeared on the network where the couple poses for a photo shoot.
Whether this couple was connected by love or marriage, or maybe something else was hidden behind their relationship, is unknown.
Zombie Boy and transgender model Andrea (Andrew) Pejic
Zombie Boy, a man who proved to the whole world that everything is possible, the main thing is to love yourself and not pay attention to others. At the time of his death he was 32 years old.
How do you feel about so many tattoos?
It was revealed this morning that the 32-year-old actor, model and Guinness World Record holder for the most Zombie Boy tattoos in his home in Canada. They say the cause is prolonged depression. Genest's girlfriend (32) on Twitter: “The suicide of my friend Rick Genest, Zombie Boy, devastated me. We must work to change the culture to bring mental health to the forefront and erase the boundaries we can't talk about. If you are suffering, call a friend or family. We must save each other. Reach out if you're hurt, and if you know someone who's hurt, reach out to them."
Two years ago, we met Rick Genest at the Intercontinental Hotel in Moscow when he came here to shoot, and we talked to him while he was tasting Russian vodka. We remember our interview and offer our condolences to family and friends.
When you see him on screen, you get goosebumps. And in life everything is much easier. Zombie Passport Fight is just Rick Genest. After five minutes of communication, you really see an ordinary 30-year-old guy in front of you and forget that 95% of his skin is covered with tattoos, and he himself, for a second, is a “living corpse”. Rick spoke to PEOPLETALK about the massive project he's working on with musician Miro, his collaboration with Lady Gaga, and his tattoos.
The first portion of fame came to him on the day when Nicola Formichetti (40), creative director of Lady Gaga and the Mugler brand, saw his photo on the Internet. I was sure: on this day, Genest's life completely changed. But he thinks differently: “My life has changed so many times that I can’t even count them. Therefore, I did not experience much shock. ”
And then there was L'Oreal. Rick starred in an advertising campaign for a new foundation. It's easy to guess what the essence of the video was: all Zombie Boy's tattoos were hidden under a layer of cosmetics. “It was, of course, unusual for me. I never regretted getting so many tattoos, so that project was nothing more than an experiment for me. When I saw myself “naked”, I didn’t have any nostalgia.”
15 years ago, Rick survived a terrible disease - brain cancer. “That was half a lifetime ago. Perhaps the decision to cover his body with tattoos was due to that difficult period. Life is one big tree, where each branch is connected to another. It’s kind of like the butterfly effect,” Rick muses.
“My first tattoo is a large skull on my left arm,” he says, and tries to find it among the vast array of other designs. – I was 16 years old. You are now asking why I stuffed it, right? ” Genest laughs. "Well, of course!" I answer. "My little sister got her skull stuffed and I liked it so much that I decided to do the same."
As a child, he was a real rebel: he ran away from home and quarreled with his family. “The reaction of my parents to what I did to myself was something like this: “Get out of our house!” Yes, of course, I would not want to be in their place.
I've always wondered if it's difficult to go against the rules, but to be very popular among ordinary, undistinguished people. “It depends on the person himself. For example, I exchange energy with my fans. If you give positive emotions, then you receive them in return. Respect and love are like a boomerang.”
At this moment, two fans approach him with an insistent request to take a picture. He is very tired after many hours of shooting, but he cannot refuse them and makes grimaces at the girls' cameras. And then he comes back to our table. “Is there a place on your body that is not covered with tattoos?” I ask. Rick laughs it off: “I think we should have a drink together first. I'll tell you later".
Among his favorite places in Moscow is the Museum of the History of Corporal Punishment. Not that I was very surprised by this, but it is difficult to call the museum of torture a landmark of the city. “This is the coolest museum I have ever been to! I really want to go back there again. As for the people, they are incredibly friendly. Your people know how to have fun! We went clubbing and everyone kept asking to take pictures with us.”
I ask the most interesting question, the answer to which we all wanted to know: “What photo do you have in your passport?” “If I was in the photo without tattoos,” Rick laughs, “I wouldn’t be talking to you here and now. Passport control would not let me through."
“Ever since high school, I dreamed of my own musical group, and now it seems that I have finally realized my dream. We are working with musician Mairo on a big project." I must say that the project is really large-scale. Mairo is the finalist of the show "Voice" in Armenia, who captivated the jury with his unusual performance of songs by Michael Jackson and Jamiroquai. He moved to Moscow to work here.
“Mairo wants to show the Russian public that a Russian musician can make really cool music. Now he is filming his first video clip in which I play. A real dream team has been assembled, which is painstakingly working on this project.”
The director of the video is Django, a close friend of Miro. The camera crew are the authors of the picture of the sensational Russian-American film "Hardcore". The most expensive and famous photo artist Aslan Akhmadov was involved in the project. The sound producer is Roman Bestseller, he works with Ivan Dorn (29). The producer of the video once worked with Ennio Morricone (89) and Emir Kusturica (63), his name is Artur Shachnev. He, in fact, brought together this amazing team. In general, the clip promises to be very cool.
