Johannes (Jo) Lindner (14 January 1993 – 30 June 2023), better known as Joesthetics on social media,[1] was a German bodybuilder. He was also a model, and became one of the most famous German fitness influencers[2] as well as co-owner of the food supplement brand Huge Supplements.[3] He reached over nine million followers on Instagram alone over the course of several years.[4] He also had a brand partnership with the fitness clothing brand YoungLA[2][5] and with Father Sons Clothing.[2]
Johannes "Jo" Lindner | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 January 1993 |
| Died | 30 June 2023 (aged 30) Bangkok, Thailand |
| Burial place | Cham, Bavaria |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation(s) | Internet influencer, bodybuilder, model |
| Years active | 2014–2023 |
Lindner is best known for his striped pectoral muscles – dubbed "alien gains" by himself[6] – which he could move in a wave-like manner or similar to a keyboard.[7] On 30 June 2023, Lindner died of an aneurysm at his home in Bangkok at the age of 30.[4]
Bodybuilding
editOne of the early videos with his "alien gains" that went viral was attributed to a muscle disease called rippling muscle disease (RMD).[8][7] He first had such a muscle cramp on the toilet and then slowly discovered how he could manually induce the effect. He succeeded early-on by winning the German National Championship in 2014 and the European Championship only one year later (both in the category "Men's physique").[citation needed] At the age of 24, he was already able to achieve an eighth place in the "Men's Physique" category at the 2017 Bavarian Championships. After an extended absence from competition, he returned in 2022 and narrowly missed the "IFBB Pro Card" as the class winner and overall runner-up in the "Thailand Pro Qualifier".[9]
In February 2021, he introduced his own workout regime in the form of a mobile app called "Alien Gains".[10] However its most recent version dates back to April 20 of the same year.[10] It received mixed reviews on Android and iOS, averaging at 3.3 stars with only 145 ratings on iOS.[10] Subsequently, it was removed from the Apple App Store in August 2022.
Personal life
editIn one of his last interviews, on the YouTube channel Bradley Martyn's Raw Talk,[4][6] he talked about his success in social media and how he got into bodybuilding:[11] he used to have a small channel ("I was always kinda small") and worked full-time as a technical draftsman and, after further training, in a microchip factory before he was able to earn money with fitness ("before doing it for money I do it for living").[6] Previously, he had wanted to make a career in the bicycle sport "dirt jump", but had to give this up due to injury.[12] Little is known about his parents and his other private life:[13] he lived for a time in Dubai before returning to Thailand[12] to live with his girlfriend Nicha.
Lindner suffered from Rippling muscle disease (RMD), a rare autosomal dominant disorder.[14] There is no official treatment, especially for people with a mild and asymptomatic course.[15]
Death
editShortly after his partner's publication, fellow bodybuilder Noel Deyzel confirmed his death on Instagram in an emotional post,[4][16] after which Jo's girlfriend Nicha also posted a series of pictures on Instagram, citing his true cause of death – an aneurysm.[4] According to his girlfriend's statements, he felt a pain in his neck for several days, but they did not realize it could be something life-threatening.[8]
After Lindner's death was announced, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Derulo also offered condolences.[17] He was cremated in Thailand[18] and some of the ashes were buried in the family grave in his native Cham.[19]
Fans likened him to Zyzz and as a constant source for inspiration on their own gym journey among an outpour of solidarity on his Instagram.[20][21] Lindner is known for addressing his followers as brazza/brazzer ("brother")[22] and posting views about life in general.[23]
References
edit- ^ "Dubai resident says down-to-earth bodybuilder Jo Lindner was absolute legend, mourns death". Gulf Today. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ a b c Gardt, Martin (19 August 2022). "Jo Lindner hat 7,4 Mio. Insta-Fans: Wieso der deutsche Influencer hier kaum bekannt ist". OMR Daily (in German). Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Huge Supplements and Jo Linder Join Forces to Take on the Supplement Space". Boxrox Competitive Fitness Magazine. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2023. Source misspells his surname name as "Linder".
- ^ a b c d e "YouTube bodybuilding star Joesthetics 'dies from aneurysm', aged 30". The Independent. 2 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "485 Jo Lindner Tribute Tees". YoungLA. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ a b c Jalal, Maan (2 July 2023). "Joesthetics, fitness social media influencer, dies aged 30". The National. Abu Dhabi. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Reddit Video Shows Effects of Rippling Muscle Disease on 'Alien Gains'". Inverse. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Jo Lindner spoke of rippling muscle disease before death: What is the rare ailment?". Firstpost. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ One, Rep (18 November 2022). "Jo Lindner plant Bodybuilding-Wettkampf". Rep One (in German). Retrieved 16 July 2023.
- ^ a b c "Top Health & Fitness Apps for iPhone on the iOS App Store in Jamaica". Appfigures. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ "Fans and Experts Are Disputing Fitness Influencer Jo Lindner's Actual Cause of Death". Distractify. 2 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Aus Cham stammender Fitness-Influencer 'Joesthetics' tot – mit nur 30 Jahren". Passauer Neue Presse (in German). Retrieved 16 July 2023.
- ^ Ayaz, Aliasgar (2 July 2023). "'It Might Be Genital' – Joesthetics' Girlfriend, Nicha, Finally Exposes the Truth Behind Jo Lindner's Death After Overdose Allegations". SportsManor. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ Schara, Ulrike; Vorgerd, Matthias; Popovic, Nikola; Schoser, Benedikt G. H.; Ricker, Kenneth; Mortier, Wilhelm (July 2002). "Rippling Muscle Disease in Childhood". Journal of Child Neurology. 17 (7): 483–490. doi:10.1177/088307380201700703. ISSN 0883-0738. PMID 12269726. S2CID 11713445 – via Elsevier.
- ^ "Rippling Muscle Disease: What Is It, Signs, Symptoms, and More". Osmosis.org. Elsevier. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
- ^ "Jo Lindner: YouTube bodybuilding star Joesthetics 'dies of aneurysm age 30'". Sky News. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Weltweite Trauer um Jo Lindner: 'The Rock' und Jason Derulo verneigen sich vor 'Joesthetics'". Passauer Neue Presse (in German). Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "Gedenkgottesdienst: Cham verabschiedet Influencer Jo Lindner". BR24 (in German). Bayerischer Rundfunk. 29 July 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ "Jo Lindner (†30): Bei Trauerfeier – Worte seiner Freundin rühren zu Tränen". OK! (in German) (German ed.). 11 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
- ^ Marwah, Srishti (1 July 2023). "What happened to Jo Lindner aka Joesthetics? Tributes pour in as popular bodybuilder dies aged 30". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
- ^ Ellis, Philip (5 July 2023). "Fans Mourn 'Joesthetics' Star Jo Lindner After Sudden Death at 30". Men's Health. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ Rade, Jannik (2 July 2023). "Fitness-Influencer Jo Lindner alias Joesthetics ist mit 30 Jahren an einem Aneurysma gestorben". Business Insider (in German) (German ed.). Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ "Jo Linder". GreatestPhysiques.com. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2023. Source misspells his surname name as "Linder".