A young bodybuilder who dreamed of becoming as big as his idol, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, has died after tearing part of the main artery in his chest.
Andrej Gajdos, 19, collapsed outside Tesco in his hometown of Weston-Super-Mare, but could not be revived.
An inquest at Avon Coroners' Court was told the student went to the gym twice a day in order to hone his physique. According to reports the teen was 7ft 2in and weighed around 20 stone when he died.
A post-mortem examination found he had traces of anabolic steroids and testosterone in his body.
Dr John Oxley, who carried out the post-mortem examination, reportedly told the court Gajdos' organs were much larger than they should have been. The teenager's heart weighed 680g, almost twice the normal size of between 400 - 500g.
"Steroids would have enlarged his heart, and having a big heart predisposes thoracic rupture," he said, according to The Mirror.
But the coroner, Dr Peter Harrowing, said steroids were not necessarily to blame.
"Such a tear is a very rare event, and the most likely cause is genetic. But I cannot record a verdict of natural causes," he said.
According to drugs advice site Talk To Frank, steroids can also give you high blood pressure and increase your risk of illness and death due to liver failure, stroke or heart attack.
"If you're male, regular use can lead to erection problems, growing of breasts, becoming sterile, loss of hair and development of acne. It can also make your testicles shrink," the site reads.
"If you're female, you can develop more masculine characteristics - with extra facial hair, loss of hair on the head, a deeper voice, shrinking breasts, and an enlarged clitoris; as well as risking acne, an increased risk of menstrual problems and changes in sex drive."
Hundreds of messages poured in for Gajdos and his family on the bodybuilder's Instagram account, which has since been taken down.
"RIP! So very sad.. Taken far too soon trying to reach perfection and striving to reach his goals," one user wrote.
Another added: "Rest in peace man, I hope this will change somebody's mind of taking steroids and save someone's life before it's too late."
Speaking to ITV news, Gajdos' mother Desana Krajcikova said her son, who was born in Slovakia, would be "loved and missed" by the community in Weston-super-Mare.
"He was known and loved by many people. Burying your son isn't something anyone should ever have to do, but we got the verdict we wanted," she added.
"Andrej was a very keen bodybuilder with aspirations to become the new Rock... he will never reach that height now."