Rich Piana

Rich Piana's Noteable Works & Biography

Is Rich Piana Dead or Still Alive?

Rich Piana, an influential bodybuilder and entrepreneur, sadly passed away on August 25, 2017. Born on September 26, 1970, in Glendale, California, Piana was known for his dedication to bodybuilding and his impact on the fitness community. In this article, we’ll explore Rich Piana’s early life, family life, health, and the circumstances surrounding his death.

Early Life

Richard Eugene Piana, of Armenian and Italian descent, was born and raised in California. He grew up in Sacramento, where his fascination with bodybuilding began at the tender age of six. Inspired by his mother and bodybuilder Bill Cambra, Piana started lifting weights at 11 and began competing in bodybuilding contests just four years later. During his senior year of high school, he lived with his father in La Crescenta, California.

Family Life

Throughout his life, Rich Piana was married twice. His first marriage ended in divorce, after which he had a long, on-again-off-again relationship with American fitness model Chanel Jansen. In 2015, Piana married Icelandic bodybuilder Sara Heimisdóttir, but they separated in 2016 amid allegations of green card fraud and theft. Their marriage was annulled, and Piana resumed his relationship with Jansen, who remained his partner until his death.

Health

Rich Piana struggled with opiate addiction at some point, as revealed by Chanel Jansen. However, it’s important to note that Piana’s dedication to bodybuilding also led to excessive use of steroids and hormones, which ultimately had a significant impact on his health. As we’ll see in the next section, these factors played a role in his untimely death.

Death

On August 7, 2017, Rich Piana collapsed at his home in Clearwater, Florida, while receiving a haircut from Jansen. Paramedics administered naloxone, suspecting a possible opiate overdose, and found twenty bottles of testosterone in his home. Piana spent two weeks in an induced coma but passed away on August 25, 2017, at the age of 46.

An autopsy revealed significant heart disease and enlarged heart and liver, which were over twice the average size for an adult male. Although the autopsy was inconclusive regarding the cause and manner of death, it is believed that steroid use and hormone abuse contributed to Piana’s enlarged organs and subsequent cardiac arrest.