How Rick Genest Became Zombie Boy

Rick Genest, better known as Zombie Boy, was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of 15, and by 16 he had his first tattoo — a skull and crossbones on his arm. That was merely the beginning though, and now he has over 90% of his body covered in ghoulish body art. Which makes him appear, well, like a zombie, hence his nickname. This man, for as scary as he looks, is actually quite successful and a bit of a role model as well.

Zombie Boy quit high school when he was 17, and joined the Canadian punk scene, sleeping in squats and washing cars to get by. In a recent interview, he told The Daily Star that is was then that he decided, “I wanted to become a fucking zombie.” Once most of his skin was covered in skeletal tattoos, he graduated into doing freak show acts like laying on spiked boards. These routines are what drew the attention of a larger audience, which included celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Jay Z, launching his professional modeling career. Now he is pretty much a worldwide sensation. Most people instantly recognize him. Hell, people are even making cute dolls and getting tattoos of him.

Rick Genest has died at the age of 32. He passed away in Montreal on Wednesday, CBC reported, of an apparent suicide. According to Vogue, Genest came from a circus-performance background in Canada, starting off with his own show called Lucifer’s Blasphemous Mad Macabre Torture Carnival. He then had his big break in 2010 after being scouted by Nicola Formichetti to star in Thierry Mugler’s menswear show. A year later, he shot to international stardom with his appearance in “Born This Way,” and starred in a Dermablend video in which his famous tattoos were completely covered with makeup. The Guardian reports that Genest also modeled for Rocawear (Jay-Z’s fashion label), acted alongside Keanu Reeves in the film 47 Ronin, and served as the muse for a sculpture by artist Marc Quinn.

Genest is a really cool and kind boy. He has his own unique personality. Please leave your thoughts below about this cool boy.