JO Lindner's gym pals have been left "shaken" by his sudden death – and the fact "it could happen to anyone", his friend said.
German bodybuilding legend Jo – known as "Joesthetics" – died from an aneurysm in his girlfriend's arms after suffering from neck pain for several days.
Heartbroken Nicha announced 30-year-old Jo passed away while they were cuddling – shortly after he gifted her a custom made necklace with her name on it.
Jo lived a five-minute walk from his local gym – the Muscle Factory – at a plush £2,000-a -onth sea-view apartment with Nicha.
His pals grew concerned on Friday when he failed to show up for his regular two-hour session on the weights.
Speaking outside the gym today, Jo's pal Chris said the social media influencer was a "machine".
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He told The Sun: "Jo was the fittest out of everyone at the gym.
"Nobody can understand how someone so fit and young can drop dead. It's shaken us all here, the thought it could happen to any of us.
"I spoke to him a quite a few times, just in passing when we were here at the same time. We would talk shop about bodybuilding.
"He was 100 per cent focused on that all the time."
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The gym's receptionist, Bo, said staff initially thought Jo's death was a prank as the bodybuilder was "so healthy and strong".
She said Nicha hasn't been to the gym since his tragic death.
"He stood out because he was so big and loud," Bo said.
"He was friendly and talked to everyone. He cheered everyone up just by being here.
"When we found out he had died we were shocked. We couldn't believe it was real.
"He was so healthy and strong, so we thought maybe it was a prank or something. It has been really sad in the gym ever since. People are still talking about it.
"His girlfriend has also not been here since it happened. Without him, it feels empty. It's like there is someone missing.
"He didn't visit on Friday and that was unusual. Then he didn't come on Saturday, too. We found out that night he had died. It's so sad."
Lindner accumulated a huge following on social media as a result of his impressive fitness routines – including more than eight million fans on Instagram and one million subscribes on YouTube.
He underwent a sensational body transformation through workouts and a substantial diet – and became one of the biggest bodybuilders in the game.
Just weeks before his death, Jo said he feared over-training would give him a heart attack due to his rare muscular condition.
Jo suffered from rippling muscle disease, where muscles are unusually sensitive to movement or pressure.
He told YouTuber Bradley Martyn: "The heart is also a muscle, that’s my biggest concern that what if I get such a bad cramp that my heart gets a cramp.
"That makes me scared. That's why I'm staying away from bodybuilding competitions too much.
"Because I would take all these diuretics and if I stop eating salt and drink a lot, and then stop drinking as well, you would pee everything out, and then you would take a diuretic as well on top and then you pee even more sodium out.
"I cannot exist really. I cannot even walk anymore."
Jo added that he was afraid of how this dehydration could potentially lead to heart issues.
Andin his last Instagram post, he hinted at his health battles as the Youtuber revealed his struggles with Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT).
Along with a slideshow of four topless photos, the star wrote: "When I lost my gains because I went off everything for one year but then could not recover my own [testosterone] levels so went back on trt.
“Trust me I tried to stop but be aware it might have long term effects for your life. Trt is a big commitment keep that in mind."
His fans have continued flocking to the comment section of the post to pay tribute to the late athlete.
Jo's girlfriend, Nicha, announced his tragic death on Saturday.
She wrote on Instagram: "He was in my arms… this is just happening too fast… three days ago he kept said that he had pain in his neck… we didn't really realise it until it was too late.
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"If your guys were to know him like I do… he is the most amazing and incredible person in this world."
Although the bodybuilder's cause of death has not been officially confirmed, Nicha suggested he suffered an aneurysm.
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