Bodybuilder Jodi Vance died of a heart attack on February 27th at the age of 20.
Her family shared catastrophic news on Instagram on Friday.
“For those who haven't heard yet, Jody passed away yesterday afternoon. Her heart stopped due to complications of severe dehydration,” the family wrote in their statement. “Despite all the efforts of the hospital, they were unable to bring her back.”
They paid tribute to the young athlete by remembering her as a “beautiful person in and out,” and went on to say, “She'll be overlooked every day.”
“This was sudden and unexpected,” the family wrote in a statement, but demanded “time to deal with this loss in peace.”
They warned their fans and followers in the hopes of preventing future tragedy like they are enduring now.
“If someone receives anything from now on, put your heath first.”
Vance was a rising star with a bright future before her. She was attending the Arnold Sports Festival in Ohio to support other athletes, but she was not one of her bodybuilding competitors. According to TMZ
She reportedly began to feel sick after attending the competition and was taken to a local hospital grant medical. She died in the hospital.
Vance coach Justin Miharry shared a lengthy video on Instagram on Sunday, saying he doesn't have a bodybuilding show scheduled for months. Miharry insisted that Vance was not supposed to be taking any potentially dangerous substances, but that she might have done it herself.
“Jody has used two extremely dangerous substances to improve his physique, assuming it only for the Arnold Expo.
He described the dangers of drugs he suspected Vance had filmed, and described the young athlete's dedication to sport. Miharry went on to say that he and others “she tried to get the gas pedal to be removed a little before her death.”
Vance recently reached third place in the 2024 NPC Battle in the Texas Women's Physical Division. (Related: Report: Heavy Metal Star Taime Downe's Fiancée believed he died after going overboard on a cruise ship.)
Her official cause of death has not yet been reported.
