Rich Gaspari weighs in on the tragic death of professional bodybuilder 'Momo' Benaziza: Image via Instagram (@richgaspari / @momo_benaziza)

“He would take injectable Lasix” – Rich Gaspari says injecting the diuretic medication caused ‘Momo’ Benaziza’s Death at 33

Modified Mar 13, 2024 12:33 GMT

Rich Gaspari proved himself to be a force to be reckoned with through the 80s and the 90s, having finished in the top three in the Olympia four times in his career and won quite a few professional shows around the world.

Since his retirement, Gaspari has taken up the role of being a unique voice in the sport, weighing in on a variety of topics surrounding it.

Gaspari has been avidly critical of various aspects of bodybuilding that put athletes at risk. Quite a few deaths have shaken the sport in recent years, but in the 90s, 'Momo' Benaziza died at 33 from a heart attack after injecting something into his body to enhance performance.

According to Gaspari, this substance is Lasix - a diuretic that prevents the body from absorbing salt. He recently joined John Romano of Dragon Slayer Media where he discussed this:

"Momo Benaziza was always kind of puffy and then one year, he took extreme diuretics to get himself ripped. Well, it killed him. He was another guy that could get himself like paper-thin, but it took a lot to get him in that condition. He would take injectable Lasix to get in that condition.

"And John, I’ve never used — I’ve used Lasix, which I’d never use again because the cramps were unbelievable, I couldn’t even imagine using an injectable Lasix."

Medically, diuretic injections are used to treat chronic fluid retention caused by certain conditions such as congestive heart failure, liver and kidney disease. Lasix prevents the body from absorbing salt, which is important in retaining water in the body.

The sport of bodybuilding, especially during professional shows, requires athletes to be near-dehydrated to give muscles a better definition. This sometimes results in the abuse of certain drugs.

Gaspari told Romano that he never actively used diuretics:

"I don’t know, I wasn’t a big on diuretics. What happened was, the only reason I took diuretics was usually during the off-season to look good for a guest posing. I never did them for a show."

Gaspari is joined by Samir Bannout in criticizing drug-abuse in the sport

Gaspari isn't alone in his criticism of excessive drug use in the sport. Former Mr. Olympia Samir Bannout has been very critical of the practices in the sport, especially today. His strongest criticism to date has been of insulin.

Bannout warned bodybuilders against using GH and insulin simultaneously to gain a competitive advantage. Last year, on an episode of The Muscle Maturity Podcast, he said:

"If you get away with using GH [growth hormone] and Insulin simultaneously for a year, I’m telling you — it’s not going to last that long because one, two, three years down the road you’re going to have a major problem in this region and that’s going to lead to health problems."

He also advised bodybuilders to stay away from drugs such as insulin altogether:

"How many times we talk about life expectancy. If that is involved, we need to eliminate the garbage. If you want to live to 75 or 80, you need to avoid this crap [Insulin]. Otherwise, I’m telling you right now, continue to use Insulin and all the unnecessary garbage, you will not make it to 60 — I’m very sorry. You will not."

Strong competition in bodybuilding and loose drug regulations often leads to athletes experimenting with a variety of drugs. This has remained a prominent problem in the sport for many years now.