Dallas McCarver is dead after reportedly choking on food, according to TMZ, which claims the bodybuilding superstar, otherwise known as “Big Country” was found unconscious after midnight on August 21. McCarver, 26, was reportedly found inside his Florida home by a friend, shortly after they spoke on the phone. McCarver’s girlfriend, WWE star Dana Brooke, tells the site that his cause of death is believed to be choking on food. However, nothing has been confirmed as of yet. Public Information Manager of the Boca Raton Police Department, Mark Economou EXCLUSIVELY tells HollywoodLife.com that the “cause of death is pending on the Medical Examiner’s report. At this time foul play is not suspected.”
Brooke admits to the site that she is also being told there are no signs of foul play, and that it does not look like McCarver harmed himself. On the day of his death, McCarver appeared to be fine, as he worked out in a local gym. The bodybuilder was seen in the below video, chest-pressing 160 pound dumbbells in each hand. He even wrote on Instagram, that the he had a “great” workout. Brooke also says that the last thing McCarver said to her — on the day of his death — was, “I love you. Goodbye,” after he told her he was about to make dinner.
McCarver worried fans back in March 2017, when he collapsed onstage at the 2017 Arnold Classic Australia due to an upper respiratory infection that turned into a “bad case of bronchitis.” He took to Instagram after the incident to “clear the air.” McCarver admitted that in addition to his illness, he was also depleted and dehydrated for three weeks straight, prior to him collapsing. McCarver also admitted that he contemplated pulling out of the competition, but stuck it out, which resulted in him becoming “choked up and unable to breath and catch his breath to obtain oxygen during posing rounds.” He promised his fans that he would be “ok.” His health scare appeared to be under control as he eventually returned to his normal lifting routine.
McCarver became a well-known bodybuilder around the age of 21, when he began winning high profile competitions. In 2016, he participated in the 2016 Mr. Olympia competition, where he came in 8th place.
Our thoughts are with McCarver’s friends and family during this difficult time. HollywoodLifers, you can leave your thoughts in the comments below.