* Mr Universe bodybuilder Shaun Davis has died aged just 57 - leaving his family friends “absolutely devastated”.

* Davis, nicknamed “Dinosaur”, won the Mr Universe title in 1996 before kidney problems forced him to retire.

* He received dialysis three times a week before receiving a kidney transplant in 2009 after a three-year wait.

* Davis, from Derbyshire, in east England, weighed a whopping 334lbs at the height of his Mr Universe success.

* He is survived by his partner Helen Burrows and their daughter.

* Tributes poured in for the champion bodybuilder, with Helen sharing a snap of the couple on Facebook.

* Local councillor Richard McRae said: “RIP Shaun Davis, a very well-known and respected gentleman who most definitely put Long Eaton on the map.

* “Shaun was Mr Universe in 1996. He was also Mr. UK, Mr. Britain, Mr. Europe and Mr. Pro Universe.”

* Close friend Kuldeep Bhardwaj said: “Just received terrible news from Helen Burrows the passing of my friend Shaun Davis.

* “I’m absolutely devastated. Rest in Peace my friend.

* “You were a true inspiration right from the day I met you at school, through your amazing bodybuilding years and after.

* “Your smile and laughter will be missed.”

* Davis urged people to sign up to the transplant donor register after his kidney failure ordeal.

* In a 2009 interview, he said: “It really hammers it home, since the transplant, that more and more people are desperate for kidneys.

* “There are people out there who are dying waiting for kidneys.”

* The bodybuilder recounted how his daughter wrote a letter thanking Father Christmas for his new kidney.

* He said: “That broke me to tears because she’s been praying for a kidney for her daddy.

* “She asked for one last Christmas and it didn’t come.”

Born: 15 April 1966
Died: 1 December 2023.



Source : Foxsports