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Lady Gaga collaborator known as Zombie Boy dead at 32

Canadian model Rick Genest, aka Zombie Boy, appears on the runway during a fashion show June 4, 2011, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, the agency that represents Genest, known for his head-to-toe tattoos and his participation in Lady Gaga music video “Born This Way,” says he has died. (Felipe Dana / Associated Press)
Associated Press

MONTREAL – A talent agency has confirmed the death of a Quebec model known for his head-to-toe tattoos and participation in the Lady Gaga music video “Born This Way.”

Dulcedo Management confirmed Thursday on Facebook the passing of Rick Genest, who was better known as Zombie Boy. Dulcedo said it “was in shock” and called the 32-year-old represented by the agency an “icon of the artistic scene and of the fashion world.”

Lady Gaga said on her official Twitter account Thursday night that “the suicide of friend Rick Genest, Zombie Boy is beyond devastating.”

The American singer added: “We have to work harder to change the culture, bring Mental Health to the forefront and erase the stigma that we can’t talk about it.”