Former New Zealand champion body builder Justin Rys lived fast, got clean, but still died young.

Justin Rys, 38, of Waikanae, died peacefully at home on Thursday afternoon, fiancee Ashley West said.



It is not yet known what killed Rys, a former Wellington drugs kingpin who turned his life around after a stint in prison for dealing $2.1 million in Fantasy, and became a prominent campaigner against steroid abuse.



Rys had previously said doctors struggled to pinpoint a diagnosis for his declining health. In the days before his death, he posted on Facebook about heart transplants and stem cell treatment.

His death comes two months after the death of another former bodybuilder, Priscilla Freeman, of Christchurch.

MATT DUNCAN / FAIRFAX NZ Former Mr New Zealand, Mr Australasia and Mr Oceania bodybuilding champion Justin Rys has died.

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Rys, a charismatic former Mr Oceania and Mr New Zealand, was once known as Wellington's "Mr Big" on the bodybuilding circuit, and was a self-proclaimed "bigorexic".

He was candid about his over-indulgence in the trappings of fame and luxury. He never shied from characterising himself as the architect of his own misfortune as his lifestyle slowly claimed his health, saying last August: "I don't know who I would have been if I had not done it. Whatever I've done I've had fun, I've enjoyed myself. Whatever I've done, I've got no-one to blame but myself."

He thrust his own faltering health into the spotlight to become an unlikely poster-boy in the movement against use of performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs).

A viral YouTube video featuring Rys speaking publicly about the effects of the drugs attracted almost four million views.

Shortly before his death, Rys said he had plans to seek treatment abroad.

Rys continued campaigned to dissuade others from following in his footsteps, warning the gym-sculpted stars of reality television shows such as Jersey Shore and Geordie Shore exacerbated pressure on young men to turn to steroids.

"People blatantly talk about it. It used to be for elite athletes – not any more. Now it's anyone who ever wants to look good, anyone who wants to get bigger to get girls. It never used to be like that, " he said last year.

He also was concerned about young people using PIEDs without knowing what they were putting in their bodies. He campaigned for regulation of the bodybuilding supplements industry, and helped remove suspect products from the market.

Rys had been in and out of Wellington Hospital receiving treatment for his health problems over the past year, but told friends he had been offered palliative care in recent weeks, posting on Facebook about his will to fight: "I'd rather die in the gym a place I love than lying on the couch doing nothing as a slob feeling sorry for myself."

In his last Facebook post before he died, Rys told friends of his will to survive: "It's one of those days my health makes movement, thinking even breathing such a struggle! Fighting through it and I know tomorrow will be a better day!"

Friend Amelia Keen said Rys "had a beautiful unique soul with a huge outgoing heart that will be missed very much."

Hundreds more paid tribute on Rys' Facebook pages, many labelling him an "inspiration."

He and West became engaged in April. She said close friends would be advised of a private funeral soon.

WHAT IS "BIGOREXIA"?

"Bigorexia" or "megarexia" both refer to a type of body dysmorphic disorder, which is the opposite of anorexia.

A person suffering from the disorder will look at themselves in the mirror and see someone slim staring back at them.

Their fear of being too small or weak drives a desire to gain muscle, and can lead to a risky obssession with bulk-building methods.