Actor and bodybuilder Vito Pirbazari, aged 44, found dead on treadmill

Vittorio “Vito” Pirbazari, a famous German bodybuilder and actor who starred in Netflix’s Dogs of Berlin, was found dead at the age of 44 on Monday, April 1, 2025. The news of his death was shared by actor and filmmaker Said Ibrahim in an Instagram video. Ibrahim explained that Pirbazari had collapsed while working out on a treadmill at his gym.

TMZ reported that some people think a heart attack may have been the cause, but the exact reason for his death has not yet been officially confirmed. As described in the Instagram video by Ibrahim, Pirbazari was successful in both bodybuilding and acting. He was a well-respected member of the Hardgainer Crew, a popular fitness group with more than 200,000 YouTube subscribers.

He also started his own business, Caps Plus products, proving he was not just a strong athlete but also a smart entrepreneur. As an actor, he appeared in Netflix’s Dogs of Berlin, the crime show Tatort, and the movie Haps — Crime Doesn’t Pay. After his death, the team behind Haps shared a touching message in his honor. “Our thoughts are with his family,” the film crew wrote.

Netflix star and bodybuilding Vito Pirbazari dead at age 44

Nationalworld reported that in the months before he died, Pirbazari had been dealing with serious health problems. In January 2025, he told his fans that he had torn a chest muscle while doing bench presses, which needed surgery to fix. He kept his 90,000 Instagram followers updated on his recovery, sharing both his improvements and struggles. To make things worse, he was also in a serious car crash that left him with a broken vertebra, damaged tissue, and cuts on both legs that needed stitches.

Despite all these challenges, Pirbazari showed incredible strength. Just a few days before his death, he posted a photo on Instagram showing his body after taking a 12-week break from hard workouts. He said he was happy to be back in the gym, working on his legs and doing cardio, including treadmill workouts — though he had to go slower because his legs were still healing. Sadly, this return to fitness was his last.

When news broke of Pirbazari’s sudden death, many people — friends, coworkers, and fans — shared their sadness and memories of him, as reported by Express. In his Instagram video, Ibrahim said that even though Pirbazari had a strong, muscular body, he had a “soft heart,” which is pretty heartbreaking. The comments on Pirbazari’s social media pages are full of shocked and heartbroken messages, showing how much he meant to many people.

Losing Pirbazari so suddenly is a huge loss for both the bodybuilding and acting worlds. The details of what exactly happened are still being looked into through an official investigation. So far, we just know he has died, but the official cause of death has not been released.