Zombie Boy is a strange character with an incomprehensible history and principles in life. He got into the Guinness Book of Records as the person on whose body the largest number of insects is tattooed. In addition, the guy's body is dotted with tattoos that are fully consistent with the human skeleton. What led the guy to such a shocking image and how does the world community react to the zombie boy? Let's figure it out.
Rick Genest, the zombie boy's name from birth, was born as a sweet little boy in Chateaugues, Quebec in 1985. He was the eldest child in a family of hard workers. He lived for himself, like all other children, no different from his peers. In something discrediting the honor of the family, then little Rick zombie boy Genest, was not noticed. The turning point in his life happened at school age.
Rick Genest, while still in school, underwent major surgery to remove a tumor in his brain. Parents no longer hoped to see the child alive, as the situation remained critical for a long time. It was at that moment between life and death that Rick Genest reconsidered his attitude towards the latter. He became, in his words, "depending on death." Apparently, the doctors removed not only the tumor, but also part of the gray matter, because instead of being grateful to God for the miraculous healing and enjoying every day lived, the zombie fight began to play and joke with death. He regularly runs to tattoo parlors to turn into a zombie.
Rick Genest before tattoos was an uninteresting American teenager. Now, photos of zombie battles flaunt on the glossy pages of fashion magazines. For a zombie boy, it doesn’t matter that he looks so that people with weak nerves have gagging. For his 26 years, Rick Genest has already starred in Lady Gaga's video, works as a model, maintains a personal blog and acts as a prototype for creating children's dolls.
Zombie Boy had a background in DJing and acting, although people look at him rather than listen to his music and evaluate acting.
Rick Genest often abuses alcohol, smokes and leads a nocturnal lifestyle. From the fate of a quiet wino, zombie boy was saved only by fame in the world because of tattoos.
They began to say that Rick Genest, known as Zombie Boy, got married. A photo of Rick Genest recently appeared on the network, in which the guy and his wife pose for a photo shoot. Became the chosen one for zombies, you will be surprised now ... . Bisexual model from Croatia. Whether a young couple is really connected by love and marriage, or is this another PR move by an expressive man, time will tell.
Rick Genest is the type of person who thinks that if you have to try everything in life, then "everything" is necessarily the worst. For all the transformations into a walking rotting corpse, Zombie Boy spent $1,700,000. With his disgusting appearance, painted bugs and a rotten skeleton, Zombie Boy causes disgust and misunderstanding from the outside. Is it worth it to disfigure yourself and boast about the search for death? Decide for everyone for themselves.
Last Wednesday, the world of show business was shocked by the news - Zombie Boy died: the cause of death is suicide. Outrageous model found in her apartment in Montreal. As evil tongues prophesied, the tattoos led him straight to a meeting with the devil himself.
Zombie Boy found dead in his Montreal apartment
Rick Genest was born on August 7, 1985 in Canada, in the city of Chateau, a suburb of Montreal. His family was the most ordinary, his mother and father were simple hard workers in the province of Quebec.
Rick made his first tattoo at the age of 16. Previously, he did not dare to take a rebellious step because of respect for his parents. The case that prompted Rick to this act is the victory over cancer.
Rick beat cancer at 15
At the age of 15, the guy underwent surgery and a brain tumor was removed. As Rick himself said: "I became dependent on death." This situation has become a kind of "kick" in a new, full of opportunities, life. It was meant to be a long and happy...
After school, Zombie Boy left his parents and went to fulfill his dreams. For 6 whole years he filled the skin of the body with drawings as much as possible. Montreal tattoo artist Frank Lewis helped him in this. It was with him that the idea was invented to transform all the variety of tattoos into one single drawing - the human skeleton.
Tattoo artist Frank Lewis helped draw Rick's skeleton on his body
Soon, Rick Genest became famous for his eccentric image of a walking skeleton, and was twice listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
The Canadian model holds the record for the most beetle and larvae tattoos at 176 and full bone sketches at 139.
Zombie Boy began his career as a fashion model in 2010, when famous designer Nicolas Formichetti stumbled upon his Facebook page. At that time, the trendsetter worked closely with Lady Gaga.
Zombie Boy and Lady Gaga
In 2011, Rick began to take part in fashion shows. Already at the beginning of the year, the “walking corpse man” was seen in the Mugler Fall-Winter collection. The designer himself said that it was Rick's defiant style that prompted him to create this collection.
In February 2011, Rick starred in Lady Gaga's famous music video Born This Way, in which the singer herself recreates the image of a human skeleton by copying Zombie Guy's tattoo sketches.
Rick Jenets and Lady Gaga in her "Born This Way" video
Over time, Genest has become a trendsetter's favorite and from an unknown Canadian teenager has turned into a well-known highly paid model. Not a single show was held without the assistance of Zombie Boy. He became a kind of chip, thanks to which Nicolas Formichetti spread his brand to the masses.
Upon learning of the sad news, the modeling business agency Dulcedo management, with which Rick has recently collaborated, expressed sympathy to all relatives and friends: “We understand that the words of grief will not return our star boy to us, but still, we mourn like you. This is an irreparable loss. There are very few such bright and generous people on this earth. The main thing is not to be influenced by the media - he did not take drugs and was sober. We are sure of it!”
A good friend who has supported Zombie Boy throughout his career, Lady Gaga, tweeted out a post in which she speaks of an irreplaceable loss: “All I feel after the death of my good friend and assistant Rick Genest is a devastation. Dear subscribers, I am yelling at you to put cognitive health first. We must forget about the prejudice that we are not allowed to talk about our mental problems and disorders. We must help each other. If you have problems, ask your friends and family for help, don't expect everything to stop soon. Yes, it will stop, but what will happen to you?
Rick Genest had a mental disorder caused by brain cancer
According to some sources, it is known that Rick Genest had a mental disorder, at one time caused by brain cancer.
Before his death, Zombie Boy worked with Mike Riggs on his new album. In addition, taking into account the posts on the Instagram network, it is known that he was involved in the Orange Door charity project, which was to help young people who found themselves without a permanent place of residence.
Throughout his life, Rick Genest never rested on his laurels, he always went forward. Friends and acquaintances spoke of him as a modest and kind person, always ready to help in a difficult situation. The dream of his whole life was the creation of a kind of community where all his friends and acquaintances would be happy.
Zombie Boy has never shared the secrets of his personal life with the media.
But, it is known that the extravagant guy maintained a warm relationship with the popular transgender model from Croatia, Andrea Pejic. Photos appeared on the network where the couple poses for a photo shoot.
Whether this couple was connected by love or marriage, or maybe something else was hidden behind their relationship, is unknown.
Zombie Boy and transgender model Andrea (Andrew) Pejic
Zombie Boy, a man who proved to the whole world that everything is possible, the main thing is to love yourself and not pay attention to others. At the time of his death he was 32 years old.
How do you feel about so many tattoos?
Not so long ago, the world of show business was shocked by the news - Zombie Boy died: the cause of death was suicide. Outrageous model found in her apartment in Montreal. As evil tongues prophesied, the tattoos led him straight to a meeting with the devil himself.
According to information from various sources, it is known that model, actor and artist Rick Genest passed away on August 1, 2018. The cause of his death is believed to have been suicide. However, there is still no official confirmation of this information. The dead body of Zombie Boy was found in his apartment, which is located in Canada, in the city of Montreal. He was supposed to celebrate his 33rd birthday on August 7th.
The first person who expressed words of respect to Rick Genest was his close friend Stephanie Germanotta. She is also known as the popular pop singer Lady Gaga. She was one of the first to speak publicly about his death. Her words tried to convey to the public that the death of the idol of millions should not lead fans to the destruction of their lives. She encourages everyone to work more on the psychological component of their lives and prevent similar incidents in the future. Anyone who feels unwell should report it to loved ones or contact support.
Rick Genest gained popularity in 2011 after starring in Lady Gaga's video for the song "Born This Way", then participated in many fashion shows. Upon learning of the incident, Lady Gaga wrote on Twitter that she was “more than devastated” by this news.
“We need to do more to change the culture, bring mental health to the fore and eliminate the stigma that we can't talk about it. If you're suffering, call a friend or family today. We have to save each other,” wrote Lady Gaga.
Rick Genest entered the Guinness Book of Records as the person with the most insect and bone tattoos. At least 90% of his body was covered in ink drawings.
Genest got his first tattoo after undergoing brain tumor surgery at 15. According to a Canadian radio station, his nickname originated at that time.
Associate Professor of the Institute of Psychology and Education of Kazan Federal University, candidate of psychological sciences, psychotherapist Ramil Garifullin, on the air of Sputnik radio, expressed an opinion on what was the reason for Rick Genest's decision to cover almost his entire body with tattoos.
“Here it is correct to say not that tattoos lead to some kind of psychological states. On the contrary, initially there is already a certain psychological state - depression, emptiness, some loss of meanings, values. In a word, suffering. And in this case, people are looking for various mechanisms in order to somehow “attach” to life, to organize life affirmation. At the same time, a tattoo is not just a drawing, it is, first of all, the process of its application, in which there is an overcoming, a test. And after that, for a while, a person acquires a certain uplift of spirit, and the problems of depression, emptiness that he used to have seem to disappear, ”said Ramil Garifullin.
He believes that Rick Genest's main problem was that he was addicted, that is, he was attached to certain values, without which he could no longer live.
“It must be admitted that this personality, most likely, was additive, that is, it was easily attached to various values, without which it would have experienced depression. Such values can be not only drugs, alcohol, but also tattoos. Therefore, addiction, as an addiction, is often the basis for the fact that a person draws himself, and not because he just wants to set a record, but because he has a limited body area, and attacks of the need to receive a dose of experience in the process of drawing happen more and more often , so, of course, he (Rick Genest - ed.) was all painted. That is, tattoos, their application are often the product of this addiction, ”said the psychotherapist.
When the guy was 15 years old, he underwent a major operation to remove a brain tumor. As his biographers note, after Rick's worldview changed, he began to "flirt with death."
From the age of 16, Zombie Boy began to cover his body with tattoos. In total, he had 139 bone tattoos and 176 insect tattoos. For this, the guy was included in the Guinness Book of Records.
Even before he appeared on the covers of magazines, Rick attracted attention with his unusual appearance. People just on the streets asked permission to take pictures with him for money.
Once a guy approached him and offered to take a picture for the international magazine Dress to Kill. It was then that the Italian designer Nicolas Formichetti, creative director of MUGLER and fashion director of Lady Gaga, drew attention to him.
Zombie Boy starred in Lady Gaga's music video for "Born This Way", which was nominated for Best Female Artist at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.
There was Zombie Boy in Ukraine, in particular, in Donetsk, where he came as a DJ to a party in one of the city's nightclubs. During the visit, he complained about communication difficulties caused by the fact that very few people speak English fluently.
It was revealed this morning that the 32-year-old actor, model and Guinness World Record holder for the most Zombie Boy tattoos in his home in Canada. They say the cause is prolonged depression. Genest's girlfriend (32) on Twitter: “The suicide of my friend Rick Genest, Zombie Boy, devastated me. We must work to change the culture to bring mental health to the forefront and erase the boundaries we can't talk about. If you are suffering, call a friend or family. We must save each other. Reach out if you're hurt, and if you know someone who's hurt, reach out to them."
Two years ago, we met Rick Genest at the Intercontinental Hotel in Moscow when he came here to shoot, and we talked to him while he was tasting Russian vodka. We remember our interview and offer our condolences to family and friends.
When you see him on screen, you get goosebumps. And in life everything is much easier. Zombie Passport Fight is just Rick Genest. After five minutes of communication, you really see an ordinary 30-year-old guy in front of you and forget that 95% of his skin is covered with tattoos, and he himself, for a second, is a “living corpse”. Rick spoke to PEOPLETALK about the massive project he's working on with musician Miro, his collaboration with Lady Gaga, and his tattoos.
The first portion of fame came to him on the day when Nicola Formichetti (40), creative director of Lady Gaga and the Mugler brand, saw his photo on the Internet. I was sure: on this day, Genest's life completely changed. But he thinks differently: “My life has changed so many times that I can’t even count them. Therefore, I did not experience much shock. ”
And then there was L'Oreal. Rick starred in an advertising campaign for a new foundation. It's easy to guess what the essence of the video was: all Zombie Boy's tattoos were hidden under a layer of cosmetics. “It was, of course, unusual for me. I never regretted getting so many tattoos, so that project was nothing more than an experiment for me. When I saw myself “naked”, I didn’t have any nostalgia.”
15 years ago, Rick survived a terrible disease - brain cancer. “That was half a lifetime ago. Perhaps the decision to cover his body with tattoos was due to that difficult period. Life is one big tree, where each branch is connected to another. It’s kind of like the butterfly effect,” Rick muses.
“My first tattoo is a large skull on my left arm,” he says, and tries to find it among the vast array of other designs. – I was 16 years old. You are now asking why I stuffed it, right? ” Genest laughs. "Well, of course!" I answer. "My younger sister I stuffed my skull, and I liked it so much that I decided to make the same one.
As a child, he was a real rebel: he ran away from home and quarreled with his family. “The reaction of my parents to what I did to myself was something like this: “Get out of our house!” Yes, of course, I would not want to be in their place.
I've always wondered if it's difficult to go against the rules, but to be very popular among ordinary, undistinguished people. “It depends on the person himself. For example, I exchange energy with my fans. If you give positive emotions, then you receive them in return. Respect and love are like a boomerang.”
At this moment, two fans approach him with an insistent request to take a picture. He is very tired after many hours of shooting, but he cannot refuse them and makes grimaces at the girls' cameras. And then he comes back to our table. “Is there a place on your body that is not covered with tattoos?” I ask. Rick laughs it off: “I think we should have a drink together first. I'll tell you later".
Among his favorite places in Moscow is the Museum of History corporal punishment. Not that I was very surprised by this, but it is difficult to call the museum of torture a landmark of the city. “This is the coolest museum I have ever been to! I really want to go back there again. As for the people, they are incredibly friendly. Your people know how to have fun! We went clubbing and everyone kept asking to take pictures with us.”
I ask the most interesting question, the answer to which we all wanted to know: “What photo do you have in your passport?” “If I was in the photo without tattoos,” Rick laughs, “I wouldn’t be talking to you here and now. Passport control would not let me through.”
“Ever since high school, I dreamed of my own musical group, and now it seems that I have finally realized my dream. We are working with musician Mairo on a big project." I must say that the project is really large-scale. Mairo is the finalist of the show "Voice" in Armenia, who captivated the jury with his unusual performance of songs by Michael Jackson and Jamiroquai. He moved to Moscow to work here.
“Mairo wants to show the Russian public that a Russian musician can make really cool music. Now he is filming his first video clip in which I play. A real dream team has been assembled, which is painstakingly working on this project.”
The director of the video is Django, a close friend of Miro. The camera crew are the authors of the picture of the sensational Russian-American film "Hardcore". The most expensive and famous photo artist Aslan Akhmadov was involved in the project. The sound producer is Roman Bestseller, he works with Ivan Dorn (29). The producer of the video once worked with Ennio Morricone (89) and Emir Kusturica (63), his name is Artur Shachnev. He, in fact, brought together this amazing team. In general, the clip promises to be very cool.
Canadian model and Guinness record holder Rick Genest, known to the world under the pseudonym Zombie Boy, was found dead in his home in Canada. The man is believed to have committed suicide.
What Rick Genest was known for and what details about his death were revealed at that moment, tells Medialeaks.
In the Canadian city of Montreal on August 1, Genest, also known as Zombie Boy. His death was reported by the police, writes CBC.
Information about the death of Zombie Boy on Twitter was confirmed by his girlfriend, singer Lady Gaga.
Who is Zombie Boy
Rick Genest, also known under the pseudonym Zombie Boy (Zombie Boy, Zombie Guy), is a 32-year-old model from Canada. He became famous for his extravagant appearance: his body is covered from head to toe with numerous tattoos, thanks to which the man looks like a skeleton. Genest was twice listed in the Guinness Book of Records - as the owner of the largest number of tattoos depicting insects (there are 176 of them), and drawings on the body in the form of bones (139).
Rick himself noted that he began to make his tattoos from the age of 16, after he managed to defeat a brain tumor. In 2010, his Facebook page became very popular and the guy was noticed by fashion designer Nicolas Formichetti, who works closely with Lady Gaga. In 2011, Rick began to participate in fashion shows, and then starred in Lady Gaga's Born This Way video, where the singer wears makeup similar to Zombie Boy's tattoos.
Participation in the clip provided Zombie Boy with final fame. In addition to participating in fashion shows, he starred for magazines such as GQ, Vanity Fair and Vogue, appeared in television shows (for example, Austrian Next Top Model) and even starred with Keanu Reeves in the film 47 Ronin, released in 2013.
Before his death, Rick Genest worked with former Rob Zombie guitarist Mike Riggs on his new album, notes Et Canada. According to Genest's latest Instagram posts, he was also involved with Home Depot's Orange Door charity project, which helped young homeless people.
What is known about the death of Zombie Boy
Rick Genest was found dead in his home in Montreal, in the Mont-Royal Plateau area, on Wednesday, August 1. According to the version of the police, which leads Cba, he committed suicide. Other publications, however, note that there is no official information about the cause of death of the model yet.
Zombie Boy did not live six days before his birthday - on August 7 he would have turned 33 years old. On August 2, an entry appeared on Zombie Boy's Instagram and Facebook with the image of a ring of light in the darkness, which he provided with a poem of his own composition. Rick most likely put the post on the auto-timer before committing suicide.
He wrote a poem Well about Damballah. We are talking about a mystical entity from the voodoo religion, revered as the creator of all life.
"Oh Damballah.
We howl at the stars hanging from above
Our souls sink into a stone well
Like a fire laid between two destinies,
From the most boring stories.
Every breath cuts through the ice like flesh is suspended
Before the old narrow gates of death
Where is the bold and brazen last ritual
Fulfills our desire for madness.
Deep underground
We kissed our prayers
So harsh and cold
On metal shells.
Freed by moonlight."
Additions, extensions (@zombieboyofficial) Sep 2, 2018 at 8:37 PDT
After announcing the death of Zombie Boy, Lady Gaga urged subscribers to be more attentive to their mental health and, in which case, ask for help.
The modeling agency Dulcedo management, with which Zombie Boy collaborated, also announced on Facebook on August 3 that it was grieving for Rick Genest, writes Globalnews. However, in the comments under the entry asking if Genest committed suicide, company representatives noted that “at this point they can neither confirm nor deny the information, there are no witnesses yet, and we need to wait for information from the investigators.”
