American fitness influencer Connor Murphy, known for bodybuilding videos and content tied to the online "looksmaxxing" community, died Tuesday after an apparent drowning at a luxury rental property in Thailand, according to Bang Phli police. He was 32 years old.
Police in Thailand's Samut Prakan province had responded on Tuesday afternoon to reports of a foreign man behaving erratically at a luxury rental property next to a large pond in Bang Phli district, according to local media citing the police.
Witnesses told police he entered the lake after officers arrived and continued swimming until he appeared exhausted, then disappeared beneath the surface. Witnesses said they did not attempt a rescue because the lake was more than 10 meters (33 feet) deep.
Divers from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation searched the lake for about 30 minutes before recovering Murphy's body about 20 meters (66 feet) from shore, according to Khaosod English. Police said an initial examination found no signs of assault, and Murphy's body was taken to Ramathibodi Chakri Naruebodindra Hospital for an autopsy to determine his official cause of death.
Police are also investigating Murphy’s death and authorities are awaiting the full autopsy and toxicology results to determine whether drugs or other substances contributed to the incident. Investigators later searched Murphy’s vehicle and found two unused syringes and several unidentified white pills inside a waist bag, according to Thairath.
Murphy gained a large online following during the 2010s by posting bodybuilding, fitness, and prank videos on YouTube before later sharing content focused on appearance optimization and personal development. At the time of his death, he had more than 2 million YouTube subscribers and hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers.
Fellow creators shared news and tributes on social media on Wednesday after Murphy's death was announced.
“Only God knows the mental and emotional weight you carried throughout the years… the expectations and pressure placed on your shoulders by millions of people who only ever witnessed a facet of your life,” he said. “What saddens me the most is that the world will probably never know who you truly were behind the persona. Rest in peace my brother. May angels guide you to a better place.”