Victor Martinez pays tribute to his fallen countryman.

Perhaps the most recognizable face in Dominican bodybuilding, Victor Martinez has put his country on the map. With so many high level performances under his belt, Victor Martinez is an ambassador of the sport. But Martinez is the only bodybuilder of Dominican descent to gain prominence in bodybuilding. His countryman Novoa Mendez also had a major impact on Dominican bodybuilding.

Unfortunately it appears that Novoa Mendez has recently passed away.

Cutting an imposing and impressive figure, Novoa Mendez with a massive bodybuilder. When he took to the stage he dwarfed the competition with his incredible size. His passing comes as a major loss for Dominican bodybuilding.

Novoa Mendez was considered one of the strongest men in the Dominican Republic. The 48-year-old Mendez suffered a stroke last Sunday and never regained consciousness. He died on Tuesday night.

Guillermo Ottenwalder, Provincial Director of Sports who monitored the health of Novoa Mendez, confirmed his death.

Victor Martinez took to Instagram to pay tribute to his fallen countryman in a recent post.

Sad day today to hear the news that my fellow countrymen and pro bodybuilder novoa mendez has passed. @palofit informed us that he had some health complications that led to his passing. I got the chance to compete with him in the Toronto pro show in 2013 and his physique caught my eyes because he was very impressive and after learning he was from the same side of town in the dominican republic el cibao I definitely had to make sure he was ok and understood the prejudging rules. Sadly it was the last time we interacted even though I did invite him to all my shows I held in DR. I never got to see you again my friend,but one thing I can say for sure is that you were a very kind and good hearted man that never reached his full potential #rip thank you @npcnewsonlineofficialpage Jim Manion and jon de la rosa for making his dream come true and compete on the big stage.

Novoa Mendez was one of the first Dominicans to make a career out of bodybuilding. He received his IFBB pro card in 2013 and competed at home and abroad.

On several occasions he was awarded bodybuilder of the year by the Association of Sports Reporters of Santiago (ACDS).

Novoa was a dedicated bodybuilder who tirelessly worked on his physique day in and day out. He will truly be missed in the bodybuilding community.

Generation Iron offers condolences to the family and friends of Novoa Mendez.

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Managing Editor at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.

Header image courtesy of Instagram