Zombie Boy Rick Genest Dies at 32, Body Art Icon and Fashion Muse

Rick Genest, known as Zombie Boy, was found dead in his Montreal apartment on August 1, 2018, at age 32. The cause was reported as suicide. Born on August 7, 1985, in LaSalle, Quebec, Genest survived a brain tumor at 15, which inspired his transformation into a living skeleton through extensive tattoos covering 90% of his body, earning a Guinness World Record. His first tattoo, a skull on his left forearm, came at 16. The intricate ink, executed by Californian tattoo artist Frank Lewis, depicted 136 human bones, internal organs, and 176 insects in a trompe l'oeil style. Genest rose to fame in 2011 after being discovered by Nicola Formichetti, creative director of Thierry Mugler and stylist for Lady Gaga. He appeared in Gaga's "Born This Way" music video and walked the runway for Mugler's Fall/Winter 2011-2012 Paris Fashion Week show. He also modeled for Dazed, GQ, and Vogue Homme Nippon, and starred in a 2014 L'Oréal Dermablend Pro advertisement. In 2011, artist Marc Quinn created a life-size sculpture of Genest for his "Body Alteration" series, cast in bronze and cement. Genest also performed his own show, "Lucifer's Blasphemous Mad Macabre Torture Carnival," featuring freaks, fire-eaters, and burlesque dancers. His final Instagram post featured a poem titled "Damballa" referencing voodoo and death. Lady Gaga mourned him on Facebook, urging awareness of mental health and suicide prevention.