26.09.1970 - 25.08.2017 (46 years) (Glendale, California, U.S.)
Richard Eugene Piana (September 26, 1970 – August 25, 2017) was an American bodybuilder and businessman. He won the National Physique Committee (NPC) Mr. Teen California title in 1989, NPC Mr. California in 1998 and National Physique Committee (NPC) competitions in 2003 and 2009. He had his own nutrition product line called Rich Piana: 5% Nutrition. He publicly admitted that he had been using anabolic steroids and synthetic human growth hormone as part of his bodybuilding regimen during his 25-year career in competition, starting when he was 18 years old. He had said he was aware that the steroids would do damage to his body, but had also said steroid use was a necessary part of competing at the highest levels of bodybuilding and that it was a risk he was willing to take. He died at the age of 46, after two weeks in a coma. At death, his heart and liver weighed over twice the average amount for an adult male. He had been aware that his organs were enlarged and that is a known side effect of the steroids and other hormones he had been taking. There was also significant hardening of the arteries and plaque in his arteries. However, the autopsy report was ultimately inconclusive on the cause and manner of his death, due to the hospital disposing of any specimens prior to his death.Piana was popular among the weightlifting community as a result of both his bodybuilding achievements and his gregarious and over-the-top extroverted personality. He was known for running a vlog on YouTube which featured motivational speaking, personal life stories, exercise montages, special guest appearances, and insights into Piana's daily life. In his videos he often spoke of the 5%, which he described as a mentality and movement of people willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish whatever goals they have. He believed only 5% of people had the capability of doing this.