Bodybuilder dies at 37
Her cause of death has not yet been disclosed, but her obituary says her passing was 'unexpected but peaceful'. Funeral services for McNeff have been planned for this coming Sunday.
Growing up, McNeff was active in many sports - including skiing and diving - while becoming an accomplished equestrian, according to an obituary posted to Boston.com . McNeff graduated from UMass Amherst and discovered bodybuilding as an adult. After her career ended, she intended to pursue a graduate degree in psychology.
McNeff rose to prominence in the body building world in the 2000s - winning several titles, including the 2009 East Coast Classic. She continued competing into the 2010s and was featured in a bodybuilding documentary released in 2016 titled 'Raising The Bar'.
In that film, she discussed her career, saying, 'The quest for getting huge will never end. There's no limit. I hope there's a day that I'll be able to look in the mirror 100 percent of the time and be like "yeah man, I'm huge."' McNeff's death is the latest in a disturbing string of deaths in the bodybuilding community - totaling seven deaths in the past six months.
In late July, Spanish bodybuilding star Lorena Blanco died at age 37 of a suspected heart attack while she was preparing to travel to Las Vegas to compete at Ms. Olympia. A month prior, Colombian bodybuilder Zunilda Hoyos Mendez was killed in a horrific hammer attack in Spain at age 43 after telling her husband she wanted a divorce. Her husband, Jarrod Gelling, was also found dead with knife wounds that police believe was a suicide.
In May, a pair of Brazilian weightlifters died within a week of each other. On May 6, 30-year-old bodybuilding champion Gui Bull died due to asphyxiation . Just days later, another 30-year-old - Wanderson da Silva Moreira - passed away while competing in the Pantanal bodybuilding championship. In April, male bodybuilder and actor Vito Pirbazari died at age 44 from a heart attack after collapsing on a treadmill. Back in March, a 20-year-old bodybuilder - Jodi Vance - died when her heart stopped due to 'severe dehydration' , according to a state
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