MONTREAL (AP) – Rick Genest, a Quebec model known for his head-to-toe tattoos and participation in the Lady Gaga music video “Born This Way,” has died, his talent agency said.
Dulcedo Management confirmed on Facebook late Thursday the passing of Rick Genest, who was better known as Zombie Boy. Dulcedo said it “was in shock” and called the 32-year-old represented by the agency an “icon of the artistic scene and of the fashion world.”
Lady Gaga said on her official Twitter account Thursday night that “the suicide of friend Rick Genest, Zombie Boy is beyond devastating.”
The American singer added: “We have to work harder to change the culture, bring Mental Health to the forefront and erase the stigma that we can’t talk about it.”
According to his website, he holds the Guinness World Book of Records for the most insects tattooed on a human body (178), as well as the most bones inked on a human body, at 138.