What happened to Gustavo 'The Freakin Rican' Badell? Cause of death explored as bodybuilding veteran dies aged 50

On July 13, it was revealed that veteran bodybuilder Gustavo 'The Freakin Rican' Badell has passed away at the age of 50. He was well known among die-hard fans of bodybuilding as he competed during one of the toughest eras in the sport.

Badell faced off against the likes of Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, Dexter Jackson, Dennis James, and Chris Cormier.

So, what happened to the bodybuilding veteran Gustavo Badell? According to Dave Palumbo, former bodybuilder, former editor-in-chief of Muscular Development, and CEO and Founder of Rx Muscle, the bodybuilding veteran died due to a stroke.

Badell suffered from kidney issues for several years. However, Palumbo added that he didn't think it was life-threatening.

"From what I hear, I'm hearing stroke as cause of death. It's not confirmed, but I did hear a stroke. Now, I know Gustavo battled with kidney issues for several years, but I don't think it was life threatening in any capacity."

In his recent YouTube video, Palumbo also stated that he doesn't like to give 'cause of death' without autopsy reports or definitive confirmation from doctors. But he claimed that he heard the cause of death was a stroke from people close to the late bodybuilder.

In his recent Instagram video, Nick Trigili of Bodybuilding and BS also claimed that Gustavo Badell had a stroke and passed away.

"Got an update on Gustavo Badell. It looks like he did have a kidney transplant several years ago. He had his sister's kidney, and he was doing fine. It looks like he was trying to bulk back up again. I don't know if he was using performance enhancement drugs or not. It looks like they found him today, because he had a stroke and he passed away."

Badell was born in Venezuela but moved to Puerto Rico at a young age. He earned his Pro card at the Caribbean Championships in 1997, according to Fitness Volt. The bodybuilding veteran won the 2006 Ironman Pro Invitational, the 2006 San Francisco Pro Invitational, and the 2009 Atlantic City Pro.

His most famous victory came during the 2005 Mr. Olympia, when he defeated two of the best-ever bodybuilders. Badell defeated Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler in the Challenge Rounds of the 2005 Mr. Olympia as per the aforementioned source.

In his recent YouTube video, Dave Palumbo recalled the 2005 Mr. Olympia challenge rounds in memory of Gustavo Badell.

"His claim to fame, beating Ronnie Coleman in the challenge round. A round they used to hold at the Mr. Olympia competition where they would compare various poses and get judged by former Mr. Olympias like Lee Haney and Dorian Yates, Samir Bannout.

"Gustavo defeated Ronnie in that challenge round and that was during Ronnie’s reign when he was supremely dominant winning Olympias. But in the challenge round, if you picked the right poses to go against different competitors, you could strategically win that round, and so, so did Gustavo. I think that was the last time they held it after that."

Palumbo also added that Gustavo's motto was 'I work hard'. This is the second time the bodybuilding community has suffered a loss in recent weeks. A few weeks back, bodybuilder and social media influencer Joe Linder passed away due to an aneurysm.

Another loss for the bodybuilding community came earlier this week. According to Fitnessvolt, Romanian bodybuilding champion Catalin Stefanescu mysteriously passed away in a shallow lake during a boating trip.

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Bodybuilding community reacts to the death of Gustavo Badell

The sudden death of Gustavo Badell was shocking for everyone in the bodybuilding community. Some of the reactions from the community are given below.

Dave Palumbo wrote:

"It’s with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to @ifbbprogustavobadell … he passed today at the age of 50, way too young. He always told me when I’d ask him 'Gustavo, how did you beat 8x Mr Olympia @ronniecoleman8 in the challenge round at the Olympia?' …. 'HARD WORK!'

"Yes, he was one of the hardest working bodybuilders of all time, having his best year in 2005 when he won the IFBB IRONMAN (beating @leepriestofficial72 ) and then placing 3rd at the Mr Olympia behind @ronniecoleman8 and @jaycutler … RIP Gustavo! You’ll be missed! @official_rxmuscle"

Milos Sarcev wrote:

"I am still in disbelief after hearing shocking news that Gustavo Badell passed away today. My sincere condolences to his family, especially kids ❤️🙏🏻. Rest in Peace Gustavo, and know that you will forever be remembered as one of the greats 🙌🏻. I had a pleasure and a privilege to take Gustavo 'under my wing' and coach him after his 2003 competitive season (where he competed with me at the NOC and Hungary Grand Prix).

"What he did in 2004 and 2005 was simply unbelievable. Two top-3 finishes at the Olympia, winning shows and placing in the top-3 at the Arnold Classic - establishing himself as the Mr Olympia hopeful and moving himself into upper echelon of elite World-class bodybuilders. The rest is a history."

Some of the fan reactions to Dave Palumbo's Instagram post regarding the veteran bodybuilder are given below.

"Finishing 3rd behind Coleman and Cutler is literally 1st place for a mortal man."

"Yes great guy great competitor will be missed. RIP ❤️🙏"

"It's like every single time I see a bodybuilders pic posted by anyone, what follows is always 'its with a heavy heart...' I hate this"

"One of my first inspirations growing up. I remember reading about him beating Ronnie. RIP"

"Rest in Peace Champ🙏🏼"

"Rest easy bro. I still remember picking up magazines seen him when I first started working out"

"So horribly sad. My deepest condolences to all of Gustavo Badell’s family and friends 😢🙏"

"When I first picked up a bb mag it was about Jay, Ron and Gustavo. Competed with arguably the 2 best of all time. RiP 🙏"

Despite passing away, Gustavo Badell will be forever remembered by the bodybuilding community as a person and a dedicated bodybuilder.