Brazilian bodybuilding champion and fitness influencer Ricardo Nolasco dos Santos, known professionally as Kadu Santos, has died suddenly at the age of 31, just weeks after proposing to his girlfriend on stage.
Family members confirmed that Santos passed away on Monday in Novo Hamburgo, southern Brazil. The cause of death has not yet been made public.
“The saddest day of my life. My beloved son,” wrote his father, Amauri Santos, in a brief post mourning his death.
Santos, an 11-time bodybuilding champion and two-time overall winner of the prestigious Muscle Contest, had recently celebrated a major personal milestone.
In July, during a live competition, he proposed to his longtime girlfriend, personal trainer Sabrina Wollman, marking four years since they began dating.
“I love you with all my heart,” Wollman wrote in a moving Instagram tribute. “Thank you for always making me the best version of myself. I choose you every day to share this crazy life with.”
Tributes have poured in from across Brazil’s fitness community. Fellow bodybuilder Diego Wiegand said, “Heaven is definitely partying today. You left a legacy here on Earth and will always be remembered for the man you were.”
Santos had trained since the age of 17 and was admired for his discipline and charisma both on and off stage. Event promoter Joel Rodriguez described him as “a very charismatic, friendly person” and “an athlete with a lot of potential.”
The gym where he trained, PowerCT, posted a message of condolence, calling Santos “an example of dedication, discipline and companionship.”
His sudden death has stunned Brazil’s bodybuilding world, cutting short the promising career of a beloved figure who seemed to have everything ahead of him.
