An Iranian man named Amou Haji, dubbed the world’s “dirtiest man,” has passed away at the age of 94 in the Iranian village of Dejgah, state media announced on Sunday. The man reportedly went some 67 years without washing and only ate rotten food.
According to the IRNA news agency, Haji chose to avoid showering out of fear that it would make him ill. Aside from having an aversion to soap and water, Haji also had a distaste for fresh food and water, stating that his favorite food was a rotten porcupine and other roadkill. The water he drank usually came from nearby puddles and he drank it from a rusty oil can. The man lived in an open brick hut and preferred to smoke animal feces out of an old pipe rather than tobacco.
The doctors concluded that Haji was able to remain healthy because of his constant exposure to harsh living conditions, which had allowed him to develop an unusually strong immune system.
Several months ago, however, the villagers allegedly managed to finally convince the hermit to take a bath for the first time in over half a century. According to a local official who spoke with IRNA, Haji fell ill soon after and passed away on October 23.