An Iranian dubbed “the world’s dirtiest man” has died at the age of 94 just months after washing for the first time in decades.
Amou Haji was a hermit who had refused to use soap and water for more than half a century, fearing it would make him sick.
The Iranian, who lived in the southern province of Fars, had avoided previous attempts by villagers to get him clean.
According to local media, Amou Haji finally succumbed to pressure and washed a few months ago. According to Iran’s IRNA news agency, he became ill shortly afterwards and died on Sunday.
The world’s dirtiest man lived in a hole in the ground
In a previous interview with the Tehran Times in 2014, Haji revealed his favorite meal was porcupine and that he lived in a hole in the ground and a brick shack built by concerned neighbors in the village of Dejgah.
He told the outlet at the time that his unusual choices were due to “emotional setbacks” when he was younger.
Years of not bathing had left him with skin covered in “soot and pus,” IRNA said, while his diet had consisted of rotten meat and unsanitary water drunk from an old oil can.
His fame spread further after he went viral for smoking a handful of cigarettes all at once. He would also use a metal plumbing object to smoke animal waste, The Telegraph reported.
Physicians from Tehran reportedly evaluated him earlier this year, and he was deemed healthy.
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