He was known for his head-to-toe tattoos and starred alongside Lady Gaga in her Born This Way music video in 2011.
Zombie Boy's body was found in his apartment in the Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood in Montreal, Canada, on Wednesday.
Gaga has said the death is "beyond devastating" and revealed he had taken his own life.
The Canadian model, who would have celebrated his 33rd birthday on August 7, got his first tattoo when he was 16 and by the time he was 19, had covered his entire body in ink.
After being spotted by Gaga's stylist, he ended up featuring in the singer's video, and from there his fame skyrocketed.
He appeared in a number of modelling campaigns for high-end fashion brands as well as magazines such as GQ and Vogue.
On Thursday Gaga tweeted to speak of her heartbreak and call for improved awareness around mental health.
She said: "The suicide of friend Rick Genest, Zombie Boy is beyond devastating. 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."
Gaga, 32, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, added: "If you are suffering, call a friend or family today. We must save each other."
0 comments:
Post a Comment