‘World’s dirtiest man’ dies just months after his first bath in over 60 years

An Iranian man, dubbed the “world’s dirtiest man” after refusing to bathe for over 60 years, has died at the age of 94.

Amou Haji died Sunday in the village of Dezgah, reports Fox News citing Iranian state media.

Haji received international attention for the grime-covered skin and matted hair that got dirtier and dirtier because he believed soap and water would make him sick. He even starred in a 2013 documentary about his life called “The Strange Life of Amou Haji.”

Tragically, his death comes shortly after he was finally convinced to bathe.

Villagers had gotten him to freshen up "for the first time a few months ago" after taking "him to a bathroom to wash," reported the Islamic Republic News Agency.

The agency said that he fell ill “no long after” the cleansing and “finally, on Sunday… he gave up his life.”

Amou Haji – not his real name, but a term of endearment commonly given to elderly people – lived in an open brick hut that villagers made him after he began sleeping in a hole in the ground. He reportedly has no wife or family.

His caretakers pointed to “emotional setbacks in his youth” for his strange aversion to bathing. He allegedly had other unsanitary habits, such as eating roadkill and smoking animal feces from his pipe.

The Daily Mail notes that the world record holder for longest time without showering is disputed. One previous record holder was Kailash Singh, a 67-year-old in India who claimed to have not showered in 39 years.