International bodybuilder and fitness influencer Einar Méndez has died at 48 after what his wife described as a sudden heart attack following a workout session in Mexico City.
Méndez was declared dead on Sept. 4 after collapsing at a gym, according to his wife, Yan Méndez. The 48-year-old fitness personality had built a following of roughly 47,000 people online through his bodybuilding career and work in the fitness industry.
Yan shared the heartbreaking news on social media, writing a farewell to her husband after the couple had recently celebrated their 30th anniversary.
“Rest in peace, love of my life. Fly to the highest heights, and I promise we will meet again,” she wrote.
The couple had been married for three decades and shared three daughters — Fanny, Frida and María Regina — according to Mexican publication El Heraldo.
Their family was also preparing for a milestone trip, with Yan saying the couple were set to travel to New York City for the first time soon.
Méndez’s career extended beyond competitive bodybuilding. He also worked as a fitness coach for local celebrities, including Mexican television presenter Martha Debayle.
Debayle paid tribute to Méndez after his death, revealing that the two had worked together for nine years.
“We are all still in shock. He left suddenly, in the gym, doing what he loved most: training,” Debayle wrote.
She added that Méndez’s presence would remain with her whenever she trained, saying there “won’t be a single day that I train and don’t think” of him.
Méndez’s death came while he was doing the activity that had defined much of his life and career. He was 48.
