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[man clearing throat]

[tense music building]

[Zyzz] How you going
loyal Zyzz fans?

Sup, brah?
Zyzz in the house, brah!

Gonna have a little word
with all of y'all.

Hello and welcome
to 4chan, this is Zyzz.

That's Zyzz!
Not fucking Zeez, brah!

A few things I want to say.
First things first -

I'm fucking God. Alright?

I'm fucking aesthetic.

See this fucking hair, brah.

Jawline, brah.

Fucking beautiful, brah.

[Said VO] Back before
the algorithm was a thing,

there was Zyzz.

[Zyzz] How do you become
a sick cunt, but?

You go to the gym,
you lift weights,

you get tats, you fuck bitches!

That's all you got to
fucking do cunt!

[Said VO] Behind that persona
was my little brother Aziz,

with his webcam
in his bedroom.

[gentle music]

[Said VO]
Aziz wanted to be loved.

But Zyzz? He wanted fame -
even if it meant being hated.

Everyone has
a little bit of Zyzz in them.

Every fucking cunt out there.

You're a fucking sick cunt
if you wanna be, brah.

Stop being a fucking
sad cunt, alright?

In life, if you
want to be noticed,

you've gotta be a
fucking ripped cunt.

You've gotta be
a shredded cunt...

[Said VO] By age of 21,

he had amassed
a legion of fans online.

Zyzz is a fucking revolution,
brah. We're taking over.

[Said VO]
Within a year...

...he was gone.

[Said VO]
It's been 15 years,

and I have people asking me all
the time about what happened.

[Aziz on video] Alright, brah -
we're live,

in Casa de Zyzz.

A fucking sexy house.

[Said VO] I don't really
talk about it.

Respecting the wishes of
my family - my parents.

That's just -
that's how it's been.

[gentle music]

[Said VO] But now, it's time.

The true story needs to be
told.

Az was always honest.

I want to do the same.

[urgent music]

[TV reporter] Before
the 'Tok, before the 'Gram,

before even YouTube got
popular, there was Zyzz.

[Phillip] People parted like
the fucking sea and looked.

Everyone was like -
[gasping]

[Paolo] It was like spotting
like, the rarest Pokémon card.

[Aziz] Come at me, brah.

People were just
mesmerised.

[loud dance music]

[Amelia] He was literally like
the coolest kid on the block.

If we get a photo, then we were
automatically cool by default.

[YouTuber] He really did start
the whole aesthetic era.

[YouTuber] He changed
internet culture forever.

You mad?

[YouTuber] He grew up
this tiny little beanpole.

Three years later,

he looked like a fucking
Dragon Ball Z character.

[YouTuber] There was a
phenomenon going on here

that is separate from
the guy's physique.

He understood the
power of the internet.

[TV reporter]
A multi-billion-dollar
industry,

more than half of
Gen Z now aspire

to become social
media influencers.

[Paola] In Australia he had an
online presence that no one had.

Back then, there was no such
thing as influencers.

Az was the first one to do that.

This content that he's created

inspired young men
all over the world.

[Bullet Man] These guys
all loved him,

because he was one of them.

[various foreign language
voice overs]

[YouTuber] It has actually
become a religion

to some people.

[YouTuber] When they
needed inspiration,

they needed motivation -

Zyzz just fucking appears, bro.

[upbeat dance music]

[Said VO] That level
of fame was wild.

It was crazy to witness.

[Paola] He wasn't fully capable
of dealing with

how quick that fame hit him.

[tense music]

[Phillip] We thought we had
everything figured out.

Nothing's going
to stop this thing.

You mirin'?

New haircut, brah.

[YouTuber] Zyzz based his
whole life and persona

around the way he looked,
and he cut corners.

[Paolo] Like they see
someone who's young, outgoing,

says what he wants -
they get the shits.

They go,
"Who's this guy think he is?"

"Come at me, brah!"
What the fuck?

You're a wanker!

[Shaun] He'd always
say stuff like,

"Haters gonna hate",
you know?

[Phillip] Now, there are much
more polarising figures.

[laughing]

[Phillip] Some people would
write him off altogether.

But he represents something that
a lot of young guys relate to.

[YouTuber] Love him or hate him,
his impact is being felt now.

[YouTuber] If a million guys
improve their lives

because of this guy,
do the ends justify the means?

[Paolo] He told me,
"I'm going to Thailand".

I'm like,
"This is not a good idea".

[Aziz on video] Yeah, brah.

[Paolo] He was not in the
right mindset to be going there.

He was supposed to come
home two days later.

[YouTuber] He always said,
"We're all going to make it".

"We're all going to
make it, brahs".

We're all gonna fucking
make it, brah. That's it!

[Said] There's orders
every day going out,

quite a lot of orders
every day.

Anywhere and everywhere, um,

even in some of the most
remote countries in the world -

I think I had an order in
Botswana last year,

which I thought was like,
super interesting.

This is one of the more
popular designs.

It's half of Aziz's face
on the left side,

and on the right side
is my face.

I'll go ahead
and I'll pack that,

along with a note.

"Stay shredded".

I mean, we should have
been doing this together,

but I'm keeping
that flame alive,

and I'm keeping
the spirit going.

[Said] What is good guys?

I am looking to
work with men -

to optimise their health,
their fitness, their training.

If this is you,
DM the word 'Coach'...

Eat you ten meals a day...

[Said VO] You know I'm in the
space of fitness and health

to motivate people

into changing their life,
into being their true selves.

I've realised that over the
years - having a nice physique

can attract and command
so much respect

and so much attention.

No one understood
this better than Aziz.

He cracked the code
way back in high school.

That's where it all began.

[tense music]

[Paolo] I was around 16
when I first met him.

He's like,
"Come over, come over".

I went to his house.

His mum answered the door.

[knocking]

[Paolo] Opened the door,
like opened it a little bit

with like,
"Hello, who are you?"

[Paolo] And then straight
away she was like, "Get out!"

And then I'm like,
"No, I'm here for Az".

And then he ran out
and was like,

"No, no, that's my friend".

[computer beeping]

[Paolo] He was very sheltered.
I realised this very quickly.

[Shaun] Me and Said
went to the same high school.

I eventually met his
brother going to his house.

He had this pale skin,
quite skinny, big nose.

His teeth out like this.

He's kind of like
this dorky guy.

I mean, I'm the dorky guy,
but he's even dorkier.

[computer beeping]

[Shaun] Yeah, the friendship
really grew from there.

I met Shaun at
Macquarie University,

we were studying
psychology together.

We just became friends.

[computer beeping]

[Shahida] Az would have been
about 17, he was still a kid.

Just a normal teenager.

He really looked up
to his brother

and they were quite close.

[Said] There was a
little bit of an age gap,

we were like
three years apart,

but it was more like
a best friend

than looking after
a baby brother.

We did like,
everything together.

[Said VO] We were always like
experimenting with,

like with our look, with our
hair, with our fashion.

My hair was fucking blond
and I had a little goatee.

It was weird,
I looked like Kurt Cobain.

And then Az had like,
jet black hair

with a little skunk blond
streak at the front.

We just saw ourselves as
video game characters

and we just wanted
to keep being

the main character of our,
of our game.

[Shaun] He was
bullied a little bit.

He had this great personality,

but people would comment
on his nose, his body,

whatever it might be.

Yeah, I think that
weighed on him a little bit.

See you later.

[Shahida] Aziz was shy.

He was not happy
with the way he looked.

Comparing himself to
Western ideals of beauty.

Even as a child, you can take
a lot of those things onboard

without really realising it.

[gentle music]

[Shahida] With a lot of first
generation Australians,

he thought,
why do I look different

to everybody else around me.

[Paolo] Their parents
were like full traditional,

old school,
like Russian Kurdish.

I'm going to make the money.

You guys study and do me
proud and become doctors.

[Said] To provide for us -
they were doing overtime,

like almost every day.

They had to learn English
and to raise two crazy children.

It was hard, but you know,
they did the best they could.

[Said] Me and Az would like
go home from school together.

We'll just spend
all the time together,

just playing video games,
watching TV,

until our parents
got home.

They thought that there's
food in the fridge -

as long as we were home,
what can go wrong?

Yeah, the internet.

[dial-up internet sound]

I do remember
the old sound.

[chuckling]

[imitates dial-up noise].

[chuckling]

[TV reporter] 2006 was the year
the social web broke through.

Broadband is
fuelling the popularity

of video sharing sites, with
YouTube leading the charge.

[TV reporter] Every day
60,000 video clips

are loaded onto the site,
from anyone and anywhere,

giving millions
their 15 seconds of fame.

[Paolo] Online, he could get
away with anything.

[Shaun] It was like his
entry to the world.

[Said] YouTube was
super new back then.

It had only been around
for like two years.

He filmed himself.

At the time I don't think
there was really a reason.

He just literally
just did it for fun.

He knew it was weird
but he didn't care,

and I was just like, "Okay".

[dance music playing]

[Said]
It was liberating for him.

[music continues]

[Said] 'Cause, school
was so restrictive.

He was looking for an escape
and he found that.

[song playing]
"Tonight is the night"

[Said] There was one forum
in particular

called bodybuilding.com -
'Misc Forum'.

We kind of like gave ourselves
an identity on there.

[Shaun] Yeah, my screen name
was 'babolimp'

or just 'babo',
people would call me.

Which is Korean for 'stupid'.

[chuckling]

[Shaun] And Aziz was 'Zyzz'.

[Shaun] He started off posting
his own pictures online,

his own little videos online.

[Aziz on video] You're going to
be a YouTube superstar.

[woman] Okay.

He loved it as a bit of a
glow up for himself.

You could kind of put
things out there

and see what people loved
and what people hated.

[crowd chattering loudly]

[Shaun] He first learned
the shuffle

and then he added in
like these other moves -

like this Tektonik
kind of stuff.

We'd go to these
raves or festivals

and he'd just blow everyone
away with this dance routine.

[people cheering]

[Shaun] So he made like
heaps and heaps of friends

at those events.

But trying to get girls
just wasn't happening.

He didn't really understand why.

[Shahida] They would go
onto those forums

seeking that sort of
advice and knowledge.

That place was like an
echo chamber of men/boys

encouraging each other,
egging each other on.

[Shahida] There's a lot of stuff
there that's really unsavoury -

even for that time.

[Said] He saw the guys
that girls are admiring

and looking up to,
and want to be with.

These guys seem to get all
the respect and everything.

Aziz thought maybe if I put on
some muscle, or get stronger,

maybe then people will
stop picking at me

and maybe people will
respect me more.

Fuck! Well,
this is a no brainer,

I've gotta go to the gym.

[Shaun] He'd work out,
and you know,

he'd post these videos and
pictures and stuff of himself

on bodybuilding.com.

He'd just go in there

and just look at what they
were saying about him

and see what people thought.

[slow rhythmic music]

[music building]

[urgent music continues]

[Aziz] Yeah, yeah, yeah...

[urgent techno music continues]

[Shaun] For people to be able
to see his real personality,

he had to really change
himself physically.

And 'Zyzz' started to form.

[train rattling]

[Shaun on video] I'm recording.

[chattering]

[Shaun on video]
I'm doing a video.

Beautiful.

[Shaun] Go, run in there man.

Run in there and
do push-ups on the floor.

Come on, man.

Stop showing off and show off
in front of the old women.

[Shaun] He always
wanted me to record it.

Initially I loved doing it
because it was just funny.

[Shaun] Go, run through,
do push-ups on the floor,

then run back.

Nah you - ah fuck it. Let's go.

[Shaun] Me! You're topless -
it's funny, man.

Come on! You're a pussy.

Come on, do you want to
have a funny video or not?

[Shaun] I'd be like,
take your shirt off -

go do push-ups in
front of these people.

And he'd take his shirt off
and be like, "You go do it".

[Shaun] Come on, go do it!

"Nah, I don't want to",
and he'd get the heebie jeebies.

[Shaun] Do it!
Come on, do it.

[Shaun]
But eventually he found,

using this 'Zyzz' persona
he could get himself out there,

and do things that this
nerdy young kid could not.

He discovered confidence
he didn't have before.

And he wanted even more.

[loud dance music]

[Said] It was a magical time.

Zyzz, Chestbrah, Babo.

It was a really good bromance
amongst us three -

pushing each other to our max.

[music continues]

[Said] All the positive
reinforcement

that came from training -
it was addictive.

[woman giggling]

[Shaun] I'd come and pick
them up in my beat-up car,

lots of music in the car
and rock out.

Go to the gym,
five days a week,

up to two hours a day
and just have a blast really.

Az was the guy who
brought in people.

He was like my
best friend for a while -

it felt really special
being in his presence.

Then he'd go and
be with someone else

and that would be his
bum chum for a while.

He'd bring so many
people in,

and we'd all mesh together
because of him.

He really was like, you know,
the glue.

[Phillip] Mid-twenties,

I basically came out of a really
crappy relationship.

I made a decision.

I was like, I'm going to throw
myself back into the gym

and I'm going to get into
the best shape ever,

no matter what - I'm going
to get absolutely shredded,

and this is going to
solve all my problems.

Fucking sounds so
fucking stupid, hey?

[chuckling]
[computer beeping]

I had to have seen videos of Az

and I've seen his name floating
around in the forums

but I never took notice
of it at all.

[George] I was into
strongman powerlifting,

that sort of stuff.

So the whole point of you going
to the gym is to get stronger

and to better yourself.

If you're going to worry
about how you look -

what's wrong with ya?

So this guy in
little short shorts,

walking around the gym
posing and just acting weird.

[screaming]

[Phillip] He's not really
my type of person

that would be my friend.

But I was actually
pleasantly surprised,

how friendly
and open he was.

[George] Once you
talk to the bloke,

it was intelligent conversation.

We ended up
just training together.

It became a regular thing.

And it's like,
okay this guy's alright.

[George] And we became
training partners, basically.

[Shaun on video]
This is the rare formation

of the Carlingford
Fitness First gym.

You wanna get fucking shredded?

This is the only
fucking way to do it.

You need your teammates.

You need your fucking
teammates to help you out.

[Paolo] He had a
diverse group of friends.

So I'm half Asian,
half Aussie.

[George] My background's Greek.

[Paolo] I'm Italian and Dutch.

My Aussie side, their
background is German.

Now, it's like, it's cool
and sexy to be half Asian.

Back in the 90s it wasn't cool.

Like, I found it hard to
fit into cultural groups.

I can imagine that he would've
had his hangups as well.

Being Russian background,

but then in Western Sydney,

that's quite different.

The point is we were
a mixed bag.

We aligned our values not on
our ethnic background,

but the bond and camaraderie
of training together

and pushing each other.

That's where we kind of
connected.

[Shahida] I thought it was
a really positive thing

that they started
to go to the gym.

Normally they were
just stuck behind

their computer screens
all the time.

[low chattering]

[Shaun] We all
uplifted each other,

like, physically and, like,
kind of emotionally in a sense.

People would ask you,
like why are you so dedicated?

It didn't feel like that because
it was such a fun environment.

Az went three years
without taking a day off.

[George] Az was probably
the best training partner

I've actually had in the gym.

I've trained with many people
and no one had that drive,

that intensity, the interest
for it, the hunger for it.

He just took it
to that next level.

[slow tense music]

[Aziz on video] Fuck yeah, brah.

[Shahida] The boys are like
constantly talking about

body types and
scientific terms.

That type of language
from a forum

and they started using that
in everyday conversation

and it just caught on.

They were creating
that kind of culture

without realising
that they were.

[Paolo]
He advanced very quickly.

Like, I'd probably never
seen someone grow that quickly,

um...

And keep that lean physique.

Yeah, it was,
it was a world phenomenon.

I've never seen anyone
be able to do that.

[Shaun] It was pretty
early into his bodybuilding,

it was only after,
maybe in the first year or so.

He just started out-lifting us,
like, massively,

like he'd get these gains
where he'd put on ten kilos

and about 20 kilos,
30 kilos more.

[Said] Every week we would
have like a weigh-off,

or we'd have a scale in front of
us and we'd weigh each other.

In one week he's like on 80 -
next week, 81.

Week after, 82. Week ten
he's hitting 90 kilos.

I'm like, what the fuck?

Like what's going on?
I was really confused.

I see what he eats.
I see what he lifts.

Like we're doing about
the same stuff.

What is he doing
that I'm not doing?

But when questioning
him, like, obviously,

the answer was always
all the time, "I'm natty, bro".

[people chattering]

[Said] I had no fucking idea.

I walked in on him and
he had a needle in his bum.

[dramatic music]

[Said] I just looked at him,
I'm like,

"Is that what I think it is?"

[dramatic music]

[Phillip] Steroids!
Me, personally?

I hadn't injected testosterone
or anything back then.

But, I get it.

You do it, you feel amazing,
you have better energy,

you have better
mental clarity.

There's a hormonal
response in the body

so there's endorphins released,
you feel even better.

And there's also the pump.

It's an incredible feeling when
you're training a body part.

All the blood pushes
into that body part

and it feels very full

and you feel temporarily
bigger and you feel better.

It's a -
it's a majestic feeling.

It's addictive. So it's like,
let's do it again tomorrow.

[Phillip] When I met Az, I don't
know if he had a long game plan,

but I do know,
the bug had bitten.

[urgent techno music]

[Said] I'm like, "Why would you
not tell me, of all people?"

And he just like laughed
about it and giggled about it.

I felt sad to be honest.

But at the other point
I was happy,

because the happy part
of me was realising

that I could also do this now.

Motherfucker, why
didn't you tell me sooner?

[gentle music]

[Said VO] So many people
struggle - like finding
purpose.

You know what I mean - finding
what it is that they're good at

in this world and doing it
for the rest of their life.

I've found that.

A lot of people would be like,

oh, but you're 39, you know,
you should slow down.

But I think everything that I
do keeps Az's name in reverie,

every win that I have
isn't just a win for me,

it's a win for him.

So I don't see myself
slowing down any time soon.

[pills rattling]

We're about to go train now
so I'm going to get ready.

Okay...

[exhaling]

[Said moaning]

[trainer] Keep going,
keep going.

[Said VO] I believe steroids
can be done safely.

It just depends on having
the right people around you,

having a coach,

and just knowing
when to stop.

[Said] End of the day people are
going to do it, regardless.

So the best we can do
as older role models is

just give the right advice

and also sometimes tell them
the negative effects,

the positive effects,

because there's two sides
to a coin, the good and the bad.

And then it's up to, you know,

it's up to the
young men of today

what they do
with that information.

Three, two, and now
do your transition and hold.

There...

[Said] He'd be super proud.

It took me my whole life
to match his musculature,

but I got there in the end
so he'd be proud.

[Said] Yeah...

[Said] Safe as I could have
done it, that's the truth.

[people chattering]

This was the first festival
I ever went to.

[chattering on phone]

[Shaun chuckling]

[Shaun on video] Wow, strong
eyes! Wish I could zoom out.

Let's hear some music, bro,
yeah!

Yeah, it just feels like
I'm back there again.

[people chattering
and hollering]

[cheering loudly]

[upbeat techno music]

[crowd cheering]

[man] Thanks Sydney.

[people chattering]

[Shaun on video]
Let's go, baby! Woo!

[Shaun] He thought, he's got
like a great looking body,

he wanted to put himself
out there.

Took his shirt off.
He got down to his -

completely to his underwear.

[Shaun] On the early days,
you'd hear that a lot like,

"Put your shirt on! What have
you got your shirt off for?"

People would yell that out.

He had to work his way
up there to do that.

[Shaun on video]
Some unimpressed onlookers?

Whoa! Look at this cunt
in his underwear!

[Shaun] But then once
he got into the swing of it, um,

yeah people were catcalling,
and all this kind of stuff.

He'd get a bit more
confident the next time.

[Paolo] Sometimes like,
he'd just get shit and be like,

"Fuck you, you stupid wog boy".

Like, when we're out,
"Who do you think you are?"

"Oh, those short shorts
are for faggots,

why are you wearing
those here?"

[Phillip] No one was wearing
those little shorts,

like, not if you were straight.

Like, man you wouldn't dare
to wear that stuff.

Az wore these
and rocked them.

[Paolo]
Homophobia, wog-phobia...

but also admiration.

Like they're like, "Hmm, this
guy's a bit of a faggot,

but I wouldn't mind looking like
that if I wasn't like ethnic

and it was my body".

[Phillip] The following year,
they all have the hair style,

and everybody was
rocking these shorts.

[Paolo] We'd be like,
"Oh, there's a Zyzz copycat".

There were like 10 to 15,
like people

that like, would be like, identical.

We'd be like,
"What the hell?

"Where does this guy come from?"

But yeah, it'd just be like more
and more and more and more.

[Phillip]
That's like me wearing like,

all of a sudden
wearing hoop earrings

and trying to make it cool.
Like, that's impossible.

You gotta be a special person
to make that shit catch on.

[TV reporter] February 9, 2009,

Facebook activates
the 'like' button.

Likes have become the
currency of the internet,

turning every post into
a popularity contest.

[people chattering]
[techno music playing]

[Aziz on video] Whoa!
Get your muzz on!

Do me! My turn. Just hold it.
It's already recording.

[woman on video]
Oh, you want to record.

[woman] You fucking juicy.
You're fucking juicy.

[woman on video
saying 'juicy' on a loop]

[computer mouse clicking]

[Shaun] Kind of like

created a bit of a
mini following for himself.

He got like a little Facebook
fan page of himself.

You'd go to the gym and suddenly
the girls would come up,

"Oh, I saw your latest video".
And like...

It's like you think it didn't
have that much exposure

but actually so many people
had seen it.

[Shaun] It was just bigger
than we thought.

[man] How's it going everyone?

My name's Pewdiepie.

If you're watching this you
probably know me as Boxxy.

Love you!

Leave Britney alone!

It was a really
interesting time.

[Said] In an age of just,

celebrities that people would
see on movies and stuff.

It was refreshing for people
to see someone real and raw

and funny and unscripted.

Left my scooter
outside the dairy -

Nek Minute!

[person giggling]

[Said] When it comes to Aziz,

it was his charisma
and it was his personality,

but also it was
perfect timing

that sparked a huge
worldwide internet flame.

[techno music rising]

[Said] It's kinda funny now,

as a grown man
looking back at it.

The content - it's just so
simple and raw.

But he was so captivating
on camera.

So real and funny,
and unscripted.

[man on video] Zyzz doesn't
care about the traffic.

Push ups!
(people laughing)

[techno music continues]

[Phillip] He just ticked
so many boxes

for what the world
didn't have at the time

and put it in a package that was
cool, sexy, fun, carefree -

all that stuff.

The message is not new,

but if you package it
in a way that's relatable,

they'll listen more.

[Said] What drew people in was
the way Aziz made them feel.

He made them feel like they
could be capable of anything.

[Aziz on video] How do you
become a sick cunt but?

Oh listen bro, you go to
the gym, you lift weights,

you get tatts,
you fuck bitches -

that's all you
got to fucking do, cunt!

[Paolo] The persona he
portrayed online, like,

this big staunch like,
fun loving fighting guy

was literally a persona.

Like, that was it.

Because in real life,
he was so goofy.

[Aziz on video exclaiming]

[man chuckling]

[Paolo] But I feel like

if he was as goofy as he was
in real life in those videos,

no one would have taken
the message as serious.

Very early on he realised
that that persona

worked in motivating.

The message that he was
trying to portray

was not to hurt or punch on with
people or be rude to people,

it was more so to bring
people up and to elevate people

and help people become the
best version of themselves.

[Aziz chattering on video]

[Shaun] You can look at it
as a surface level thing, like,

oh going to the gym
and getting a good body,

but yeah, it's a bit deeper
than people think.

Uplift yourself,
uplift those around you.

Have a laugh.
Don't be too serious.

Don't fight other people.
Don't hate.

It's all pretty positive stuff.

[Aziz on video] A kebab
with protein in it.

Yes!

[gentle music]

[Said] He made a post
on his Facebook saying,

"I've got more followers
than our Prime Minster".

It kind of sunk in like wow,

this guy's actually
becoming super famous

and a super recognisable
face and name.

Oh, calm down.

What are you doing?

[keyboard tapping]

[tense music rising]

[Aziz on video] You mad brah?
You fucking mirin', brah?

[Paolo] I think I realised like
it was going crazy

when like, there was like,
Brazilian fans.

I was like, "What?"

You've got fans from Brazil,
like, who know Zyzz, brah.

[loud techno playing]

[Said] The girls and
the friendships

and the opportunities.

Everything came so quickly
and so intensely.

He was chasing fame,
and it was working.

All of his friends around him

were all just like,
"What the fuck?

"Like, this is so cool".

[Shahida] He'd slowly build
a posse of people

who would just go everywhere
he went, like groupies.

It was bizarre.
Like, who are these people?

[Phillip] We were called
The Aesthetics Crew.

We had like,
people messaging -

can I be part of the crew,
what have I gotta do?

Like, what's the process?

Is there an application form
or something?

[Phillip] You know, I had all
these people on Facebook

wanting to add me and
talk to me through my inbox,

and I felt like this um, 15
minutes of fame kind of thing.

We would be at home chillin'

and someone would
knock on the door

and it'd be like this
weapon of a chick.

And he'd be like, "Can you guys
come back in like an hour?"

And then we'd go off
and then whatever,

and then come back
and she'd leave.

Like literally, like Uber Eats
kind of thing,

you know what I mean?

It's that time again, brah.
So let's fucking do it.

Alright. What I'm going
to show you today,

is something epic.

Alright boys, just having a walk
around in the Casa de Zyzz.

This is the place
where I sleep, live, eat

and get aesthetic and shit.

Alright, so my
number one goal in life

is not only just to get everyone
in the fucking gym and train,

but get everyone into this
fucking beautiful music,

because this music
gives me emotion

that no girl has ever
given me in my life.

[Shaun] Every Friday became
like a gathering at my house.

Have deep and meaningfuls,
have a lot of laughs.

[Phillip] Hanging out at
Shaun's house in the backyard,

cracking silly jokes
and laughing.

Seemed meaningless
and mundane at the time -

I look back and go
those were the fun times.

[George] He stopped trying
to be and was just being.

It was just Az.
It wasn't anything else.

[George] He'd always
say stuff like,

"This is the peak of my life".

[loud techno music]

[music fading]

[Phillip] A lot of people
would look at Az

and go
"Yeah, he looks amazing",

but you can't really put
your finger on -

what is it about him that
I can't take my eyes off -

the physique - like there's
something about it.

You have to understand,
during that moment,

as far as physique,
within the bodybuilding realm,

everyone was just trying to
become a cloud.

[Shaun] He thought bodybuilding
was pretty stupid to be honest.

They'd just get as big
as possible, kind of thing,

whereas he was like, he
didn't care about that at all.

He wanted a body
that was actually aesthetic.

[Phillip] It's how does it look
all put together?

His muscle insertions -

everything flows from
one muscle to the next.

Everything's very symmetrical.

Most people - their trap kind of
stops halfway up the neck.

His one almost went up
behind his ear.

And then he had this
upper chest clavicle bone -

it almost has like a Romanesque
armour kind of look to it.

I haven't seen
anything like that since.

[gentle music]

[Phillip] It was almost like

why people just sit there and
stare at that 'David' statue -

Michelangelo's 'David'.

It's kind of like that
but I think it's better.

You can just stare at a photo
of him and, and admire.

[both chuckling]

[techno music]

[Said VO] Aziz had cracked
the cheat code to life.

He loved the spotlight,
the attention and the fame.

He enjoyed the rockstar life.

He was like, if this is the
response I'm getting now...

...imagine if I get even
bigger.

[tense music]

[Said on video]
Dumbbell presses.

Yes! Come on!

[Paolo] He was like
ahead of the game.

[Aziz] Come on!

[Paolo] He had like researched
stuff for bodybuilding

that like,
was like unheard of.

This stuff was called
clenbuterol.

So it's essentially,
for horses with asthma.

Like, back in the day

you could only get this stuff
from farriers -

from like people that
trained horses!

[Paolo] I was doing all my
university on, like anabolics,

like that's what I was doing
a lot of my studies on.

And a lot of bad things
did happen.

Whenever I brought up
something like, bro like,

you know you can
get hypertension

from doing this for
a long period time.

He'd be like, "That's not going
to happen to me".

Like, he was just
extremely naive.

Like, just like no -
like happy-go-lucky.

That's never going
to happen to me.

[Paolo] My big issue
with him was,

this can't be a long-term thing.

It should be a 10-12 week,
then have a break, but...

We didn't see
eye-to-eye on that.

[tense music]

[Said] He was at
Macquarie Uni.

At that time
he was working two jobs.

[Shahida] Yeah, he was just
hellbent on making money

to modify his body,

so that he can keep up with that
persona and that image online.

[tense music]

[Shahida] He went and
got his teeth done

and you know, he would
constantly come up and smile

with his teeth wide open.

And you're like, "Yes Az,
your teeth look great".

But honestly I felt
a bit sick about it.

[Said] He was working at C2K
Castle Hill as a receptionist

and he was also working for
Sydney Hotshots on the side.

It's like a male
stripping place.

[Shahida] He was studying
marketing and commerce,

and he had this natural talent
for understanding social media.

So, he would use the internet

to kind of sell himself, really.

[tense music]

[Shahida] You know, he would
sell photos of himself

to gross old men
on the internet.

He was getting influenced a lot
by people in the forums

who were saying, what's the
point of going to university?

You know, I'll do three years
here, I'll be 50 grand in debt.

What's the point of doing that

when I can come out of
school and make money.

[loud voices]

[father]

[Said] He left uni,
in his second year.

They weren't happy with it.

[Aziz on video] In a few years
get enough money,

then if I want to,
go back to uni...

[Said] It was just
really hard to accept.

[Shahida] What was
going on in his life -

it was a whole
other world.

They didn't understand
the effects of that on him,

emotionally, physically.

They just didn't have
the mechanisms

to really understand that.

[Paolo] It would have been
almost unimaginable

for his ethnic old parents
to be like,

"Hello Aziz, we're going to book
you into psychiatrist,

"going to talk about how
you're getting famous".

That would not have happened.
You have to accept that help.

And he would have been like,
"Shut the fuck up, Mum.

"I'm not going to talk about
how I'm famous

"and about my feelings".

But, probably that's
what he needed.

[father]

Az was just
still going ahead

with what he wanted to do.

[Said] He just started to pick
up the pace as he got older,

and he would do
more and more videos.

[TV reporter] YouTube now
offers money for video hits.

The average person
spends about 15 minutes...

[TV reporter]
YouTube is expanding

a revenue sharing program

that allows more users
to make money from ads

that run alongside the
videos they upload.

Sup fit brahs, Zyzz...

Sup fit brahs, Zyzz over here.

Um, just saying how you going
to all you faggots.

[kissing]
[clearing throat]

You admirin' the
aesthetics, brah?

You fucking admirin'
the aesthetics?

I built Mount Olympus with
my fuckin' bare hands,

because I am fuckin' Zyss -
the son of Zeus.

Keep trolling with me, brah.

Troll for lifes...

Trolling? Oh yeah.
Yeah, of course. It's the best.

[Aziz on video] Me and George -
look at that sexy cunt!

[George] To get that reaction.
We loved that stuff.

You mirin'?

[Aziz] Fucking,
look at that cunt.

Hello. Are you mirin'?

Yeah she's fucking mirin',
brah.

[George] Probably one
of my favourite ones was

we'll go through
each others phones

and find people's siblings or
ex-girlfriends or good friends

and would message them.

"Such and such
has passed away".

Ghost the phone
and just leave it at that.

[George] People were
getting so angry.

Fuck you looking at, cunt?

Az would just like, "Hey Shads,
come and have a look".

[Aziz on video] I like to
say hello to everybody...

[Shahida] He had
multiple profiles set up.

He would just be having
conversations with himself.

[Aziz] What you gonna do, bro?

He would just be
dissing himself.

And I'm like,
"What are you doing?

"Why are you dissing yourself?"

He's just like, this
is how I stay relevant.

He knew exactly
what he was doing.

But yeah, I could see
that slippery slope.

Come at me, bro.
Come at me, bro.

I fuckin' smash all you cunts.
Bro! Come at me, bro.

[phone ringing]

Hello.

Being shredded.

Nah.

I'm, I'm on the webcam
to my myself.

Recording myself be shredded.

Yes I'm home.

I'm home!

Hello?

[keyboard tapping]

[woman on video]
Hey guys it's just me

and I'm here to complain
once again like a woman should.

The fuck has gotten
into you people?

Why are shortening
'are you admiring me'?

And I know who started this -
Zyzz!

Whatever the fuck his name is -
Zyzz, Zyss, whatever the fuck!

[keyboard tapping]

[Shahida] We would have
these long conversations,

"Hey, you know,
this is not right.

"You shouldn't be
talking about girls this way".

He was quite aware of the
impact he was having.

[keyboard tapping]

[Shahida] He was kind of
using it to his own benefit.

I guess you can
say that because

the number one thing
that Az wanted was fame.

[woman on video]
Whatever the fuck his name is.

Yeah! Fuckin Zyzz, brah.

Fuckin' Zyzz, brah!

[woman] So I hope
this reaches you.

You're a wanker!
You are a toss bucket!

I don't like your videos.
You're ugly!

[Aziz] I got a message
for you, brah.

In all seriousness...

[techno music building]

Whoa!

Are you fuckin' mirin', brah?

That's it! You've all been
fuckin' mirin'!

[Shahida] You know, that shift
in his personality

in terms of online personality
versus offline

was happening at that time

and I was speaking to him
less and less.

Are you fuckin' mirin', brah?

Whoa!

[Said] He always
played into the hate.

He knew, if I keep
playing on their anger,

I'm going to spread
like a wildfire.

[Said] He was onto
the algorithm

before the algorithm
was an algorithm.

[TV reporter]
Over the past decade,

shortform video platform,
TikTok,

has taken the world by storm.

Daily use of shortform
social media

now exceeds
streaming, TV and gaming.

In a race for relevance,

brands and consumers have been
stuck in an endless scroll.

[Said] It's really hard
to get the spotlight

on the social media.

Now there's like tens
of thousands of influencers,

so you're competing
for that space.

You're competing for
people's eyeballs and attention.

Hey guys, we are here
at Smash Room City

and I'm going to break
a whole bunch of shit.

[shattering plates]

Fuck yeah!

This one is for all the
motherfuckers who doubted me

and said I wouldn't be shit.
Fuck you all!

[clanging]

[Said] These days it's
all about controversy -

it's all about, you know,
reeling someone in.

And this is what a lot of
creators are doing these days.

[man screaming]

[Said] They'll say things
that they don't believe in

or think are true,
but it's called rage baiting.

Okay, so hear me out...

I hate the Beatles.

We don't actually need gravity.

Hookers are ten times better
for young men

than having a girlfriend.

Listen to what I said -
money buys happiness.

[man VO] Like and subscribe
for part two.

Yeah for me, now I see it
as an opportunity for growth.

[Said on video] There's no
such thing as toxic
masculinity.

Men built everything,
the buildings we see,

the tables we see,
the microphone I'm using.

Everything in this room...

[Said] This post - it's only
been up for two or three days

and it's gotten 1 million views
already and 42,000 likes.

We can see here,
it's 93 percent men.

If there's hate comments
or negative remarks

it shows that, you know,
I'm in people's heads.

You know, and the same
was for Aziz as well.

But any kind of criticism
with him was met in a more

"I need to fix this about
myself", rather than

"I shouldn't take this personal,
it's just the internet".

[tense music]

[Shaun] He's like a, basically
a famous guy, he's like,

known as being aesthetic,

but I don't know, I think you
focus on things

that people point out
in a negative sense

more than positive.

[Shahida] He would just be
absolutely fixated

with just little nuances
about his appearance.

My left cheek, you know,

this one's a bit bumpier
than that one and not as high.

And I think,
your cheeks are fine.

There's nothing wrong.

"No, no, have a closer look
like, look at my nose.

"There's a bump here
and a bump there and..."

And I'm like, "Why are you
fixated on your nose?

"There's nothing
wrong with your nose".

He had great features, you know.

Thousands of years of history
in his features.

He had sourced some,

I can't remember exactly
what it was called,

but it's almost like
an explosive, right?

That you take,
that humans can take,

that rips off like body fat,
like at a crazy level.

But the side effect
of it is

it raises your
body temperature

to like 40 degrees or something.

So like, you're just like,
constantly like,

vibrating for like three days.

And I remember seeing him,
I'm like, bro,

you've been sweating for
like a week straight, nonstop.

This cannot be healthy.
You've got to stop.

[Phillip]
Obviously, at that point,

he's built his whole identity
around it.

To like, have built
this identity

around a physical appearance

and then you need to
maintain that.

That's hard -
that's really hard.

Especially for
a young person.

You know, you're not prepared
at all for the mental gymnastics

you're going to have to
go through to finish up

and have, like, an exit plan.

[gentle music]

[Paolo] The reaction he got
online, he liked that.

Some people did take it
the wrong way

and thought, oh this guy's
just a try hard wanker.

[Paolo]
Who does this guy think he is?

Even if they
didn't like him,

like some of the
Aussies and that, I'm like,

these guys don't like him,
but they still wanted a photo.

But there'd be one or two
that would try and fight him.

[people shouting]

[man] Wake up you fucker!

What the fuck are you doing
you dumb cunt.

[man] Before I fucking smash
your fucking head in.

[Said] He was highly anxious
and highly paranoid

about going out
in public places,

because he was scared of being
jumped by groups of men,

and attacked or
given a hard time.

That's what worried me
the most.

[distorted voices]
Is that Zyzz? Is that Zyzz?

[tense music]

[Paolo] I remember one time
he gave me a call

and I was at uni
and he was like,

"I'm at Parramatta.
You need to come to Parra.

"You need to come quickly,
Paolo.

"I can't find my keys.
I can't find my keys".

I was like, "What?
What do you mean?

"I'm not coming to Parramatta,
I can't help you".

And then, "Where's the phone,
bro? Where's my phone?

"I can't find it anywhere.
I can't find my keys.

"I can't find my keys".

[Paolo] He was taking
occasionally some Xanax,

to help him deal with
that social anxiety.

It helped him be able to take
some photos and stuff

with people
and not be so anxious.

[tense music]

[Paolo] He got swarmed
with people,

he couldn't deal
with the anxiety,

took a Xanax to help him
get the anxiety down,

but he obviously took one or two
too many on an empty stomach

or something and then lost
his marbles completely.

He ended up like

not being able to get out of
the shopping centre

and the security had to
help him find his car.

[Paolo] If you feel like
you've got to do that

when you're going out
in public...

...what sort of a life is that?

[techno music playing]

[Paolo] He had heaps
of acquaintances

and people that were like,
"Yeah, I'm friends with Zyzz".

But like, even though
he had like this huge

crowd of people and that -

because he couldn't
socialise with his friends.

Like, when we went out,

we couldn't interact normally
with him, like, at all.

[Shaun] Who can
really relate to him?

You know what I mean?

That could be a lonely place.

[gentle music]

[people chattering]

[Shaun] At some point it was
just like he always wanted,

"Record, record".

He's like,
"Just record me doing this".

Like, "You're not
doing anything".

He's like,
"Just record it anyway."

[Shaun] Eventually I was like,

"Hey I'm not gonna be the
cameraman anymore".

[chuckling] And kind of
gave up the gig.

[Phillip] I always felt like
there was a part of me

that was in my mind whispering,

like at some point you're going
to have to stop partying.

You have to settle down.
It's not gonna last forever.

And I think that's where
my exit kind of started.

[Shaun] He used to
love those festivals,

but he had to pretty much
stop going to as many and,

even going out at all.

He just stayed in his house,
like most of the time.

[gentle music]

[techno music rising]

[man] While I was trying to do
my tattoo apprenticeship,

my mum was like, "Get a job".

[Phillip] I don't know if it's
just more of a symbolic thing,

but he got a tattoo
on his chest,

that didn't cover his
'Veni Vidi Vici' tattoo,

but it kind of went
around it and hid it.

I thought, I don't know
why he got that.

[machine buzzing]

I felt like that tattoo really
was part of his identity.

It's almost like,
I don't know -

his identity was, not shifting -

but like visually,
it wasn't him anymore.

Whether Az purposely did that,
I don't know.

[machine buzzing]

[Phillip] When he was
getting this tattoo,

he was on Xanax
to help him chill out

and fall asleep while
he got the tattoo done.

And I remember
going in to see him

and he was a little bit
out of it from the xanies.

When you say so much?
Because I only mentioned--

Good. Yeah, I was
worried about that

because that was
not the only time.

Okay?

And that is probably the one
thing that stuck out to me

and still does until this day,
because it makes...

So that time when
he got the tattoo

he was xannied
out of his head...

...and he wasn't
totally himself.

[people chattering]

[inhaling]
[people laughing]

[man] He's fucking gone, man.

[Phillip] And it was a time,

I think it was either just
before the tattoo or just after,

that he was at home and
I came over to see him,

and he was on xannies then too

and he was overly affectionate
and lovey dovey,

and I was like, "Dude, why
are you taking Xanax at home?"

The tattoo, the xannie,
it didn't really -

okay, it hurts, you're trying
to get your mind off things

and you want to
pass out - whatever,

but being at home and we just
chillin' and you're on xannies.

That stuck out to me.

Now it sticks out to me
even more.

[tense music]

[phone ringing]

[phone continues ringing]

Ah, stop calling!

[Aziz] Alright, it's time
to talk one-on-one,

with everyone here.

Listen carefully, brahs.
This is a revolution.

Everybody asks me,
"What the fuck is Zyzz about?"

[tense music building]

It's a fucking act.
There is no Zyzz.

Zyzz is a fucking joke.

That's right, Zyzz...

I'm not Zyzz.

Zyzz is a person that
took over who I am, I'm Az.

[tense music]

[Aziz] At the end of the day,
bro, you gotta listen to this.

If you're a fucking
shredded sick cunt,

you can get away
with anything, brah.

Do you think if I was some
fat cunt making this shit

people would be like,
"Oh yeah! Zyzz brah, yeah".

No one would
give a fuck, man.

[tense music continues]

[Aziz] All your fuckin'
little comments, brah!

At the end of the day,
it's fucking Zyzz, brah!

And every one of us has
a little bit of Zyzz in us.

You just don't know it yet.

[tense music rising]

[discordant voices echoing]

[Aziz] Fuck off!

[knocking on door]

[Aziz] I'm doing a shit.

[knocking on door again]

[Aziz] Let me take a shit!
I'm trying to take a shit.

[mouse clicking]

[tense music]

[Paolo] He was begging me
to go to Thailand with him.

I kept saying to him, like,
"I can't go now,

"I've got like too many
assignments on.

"But you're not the
sort of person

"able to go to like
overseas to Thailand,

"like you need someone
to go with you".

He's like, "Yeah, yeah,
I'll find someone".

[George] He was gonna
go there with a mate.

I just took him to the airport.

[George] On the way there
he was saying basically

I'm going to this holiday,
I'm going to go switch off.

I'm going to get away
from all this.

When I come back,

we've gotta get jobs where
we can save money with

and build something.

He wanted, I guess,
a trajectory change.

Sup everyone,
Zyzz here.

Basically I'm going to answer
a few simple questions about,

training and dieting
for an event.

A lot of people actually ask
me how I do it so...

[Said] I think he saw past
the shallow lifestyle

and the fake people
that were around him,

and he wanted to do
something more with his fame.

Yeah, so that's pretty much all
I'm going to talk about for now.

Any questions
leave them over here.

And yeah! See ya later, brah.

[George] Dropping him off
right up to the terminal.

And um, I gave him a hug.

You know, you're gone.

I'm not going to see you now
for however many weeks.

Come here.

And he goes alright,
gives me a hug back,

then pats me on the back.

After about
five seconds he goes,

"Listen, they're going
to think we're gay.

"I've got to go".

[plane engine roaring]

[keyboard tapping]

[traffic noises]

[Aziz exclaiming]

[Phillip] He told George that he
was going with someone else,

and then he told someone else

he was going with
another person.

So he had this little
circle jerk happening

of telling people he was going
with someone else and then...

It was confusion, initially,

about why he went to
Thailand by himself.

[slow tense music]

[Said] We were in contact,
we were talking all the time.

I had no idea that he
went on his own.

[Paolo] I'd heard about
the pharmacies

and how easy it is to get, like,

benzodiazepines
and steroids and -

like, it's like a candy shop.

Like, if I saw that on paper,
I would have said,

"This is not a good idea".

[Paolo] He was not in the
right mindset to be going there.

[slow tense music continues]

[Aziz] Whoa! You jeally, brah?

This is my pet elephant
in Thailand.

[Aziz] Fuck!

Time to go for a swim.

You mad?

[Said] It was a little bit
strange to me and then...

Ah yeah, he was supposed to
come home two days later.

[Phillip] I got a phone call.

Someone had texted me.

George, you got to come
to the house.

Come to Az's house.

[Shaun] Come to his house,
there's big news.

[Shaun] We went straight away

and there were just so many
people on the street.

[Phillip] Everyone was there
on the driveway.

[Paolo] His mum was a mess.
His dad was a mess.

They were just like,
just in hysterics.

[tense music]
[keyboard tapping]

[Phillip] And I got out,
started talking,

finding out
what was going on.

There was a lot of disbelief.

[Shaun] It just seemed like -
we couldn't believe it.

We thought like this was
an elaborate ruse.

[Phillip] No, no, no, no.
This can't be right.

What do you mean?

[Shaun] You know, he was
tricking us or something.

But eventually we
were getting, you know,

information from official
sources in Thailand.

[distant ambulance siren]

[Shaun] And that was it.

[ambulance sirens]

[Said] They put his death
certificate in front of me

and they just said,
"We're sorry to tell you,

"but your brother Aziz passed
away in Thailand...

"...August 5th".

And I remember screaming.

[George] We're just trying to
figure out what happened.

How, what, why, who?

Who was the
biggest thing.

Someone has to
have done something.

Like someone that we can go
and do something to,

to make up for what we've
just learnt, you know?

[Phillip] What would it
matter? He's gone.

That's like a...

Death is like a thick black
texta through your name.

It's done.

Doesn't matter
why it's there.

The black mark is there.

You're gone, it's permanent.

And that's all that mattered to
me at the time, was that he's...

He died and there was nothing
I could do about it.

[gentle music rising]

[Shaun] They brought
back his body.

They were asked if you
want to identify the body.

And a bunch of the boys
went and ah...

Yeah, it was kind of
gut wrenching,

because there was -
obviously not the state -

it had been a few days already.

Not the state that you're used
to seeing your best mate in.

They said he didn't
look the same.

[breathing heavily]

[Shahida] They couldn't
identify him properly

because he had done all
these surgeries on his face,

his face was completely
different to...

I think at that point
now it's like,

that's why he went

and I kept replaying that
conversation we had about,

you know,
"How does my nose look?"

"How does my cheek look?"

[Shaun] Think back
and see that image.

That's not something
I wanted so I didn't -

I didn't go to the
viewing myself.

I didn't want to have to
think of him that way.

So I'm glad I didn't.
I'm glad I didn't.

[players exerting]

[TV reporter] A well known
Sydney bodybuilder has died

after collapsing in a sauna
in Thailand.

[TV reporter] It's caused an
outpouring of grief online

His brother Said posted, "RIP
brother, I love you so much.

"It wasn't supposed
to be like this".

[Said] I was burdened
with the responsibility

of having to tell everyone.

It was a horrible time
to be alive.

[Shaun] The information
wasn't known initially.

The news just wanted to get

whatever information
they could out there

as quickly as possible.

[Phillip] Somehow it caught
wind that he was in a sauna

and maybe the media wanted
to embellish the story

and somehow it stuck that
he passed out in a sauna.

[Paolo] It was in a
day spa centre,

like where there is a sauna,
but he wasn't in a sauna.

Do we know exactly
what the cause of death,

what exactly did it? No.

[Shaun] Obviously
he took steroids

which can lead
to enlarged organs,

but we don't really
know to be honest.

[Phillip] All we knew was
he'd passed away,

I think from a heart attack,
or something like that.

[Said] No one believes it.

People thought I was lying.

Which made it ten times worse.

And then they
started attacking me,

thinking that it's one of
Az's big elaborate jokes.

[Shaun] People thought,
you know,

he's off living in
some other country

and he wanted to get away
from the limelight.

Or he's tricking us and
he's gonna come back.

He'd done little tricks
in the past,

people were just trying to
get to the bottom of it.

[gentle music]

[Said] It lasted for like,
two, three years.

Every year there would be like -

on this day,
he's going to come back,

and it was like his birthday

and then he didn't come back.

The year after - on this day,
he's going to come back.

And he didn't come back.

[gentle music]

[man speaking German
on video]

[man on video]
Hey, this is Zyzz...

All y'all guys wanna
know my thoughts on

the passing of Zyzz right?

[podcaster] 22 years old,

he suffered from a heart
attack, cardiac arrest

while in a sauna in Thailand.

This is the story that everyone
remembers him by.

No one really knows
what the fuck happened.

In a sauna?
At his age, 22? Zyzz?

Known as the aesthetic king
or whatever you want to call it.

Man, I find it
very hard to believe.

Where was his friends at?

I mean someone like this
ain't going to be by themselves

inside of a sauna.

[Phillip] People juggle
all these conspiracies around,

and I get that,
I even denied it in my mind.

People can't swallow the pill

that their idol
has left the planet.

[YouTuber] To your brother -

he had stamped such a thing
in this industry that is just--

[Said] Unforgettable.

[YouTuber] I mean, bro,
I'll never forget it.

- [Said] Yeah.
- [YouTuber] So I gotta ask,

'cause I've read -
but how did he actually die?

[Said] Um, this is something
I actually can't talk about

- because I promised my parents.
- [YouTuber] Shit!

I guess it'll just like
help a lot of young men.

Um...

And it'll give a lot of closure,
maybe, to a lot of people.

[slow tense music]

[George] The thing with Xanax
is it has a very long half-life.

Days, not just hours.

So, that coming up
in toxicology

may have been from
a prior usage.

To have used it
alongside a painkiller,

or something like that,

we all thought,
surely he's not that silly.

[Paolo] We had done
Xanax together in the past

like I felt guilty
for a little bit -

I'm like, oh man,

maybe if I'd like never
introduced him to this

or if we'd never
hung out ever,

he would never
have done this.

But I literally had so many
conversations with him,

like, don't do this,
don't take Xanax overseas,

don't - blah, blah, blah, blah,
blah, blah, blah, blah.

The only thing I could
have physically done

was gone with him.

But yeah, that's it.

[Phillip] It's hard because you
only know when looking back.

[George] What are you doing?

- [Aziz] I'm laughing.
- Why are you laughing?

[George] Don't cry.
It's alright. What's wrong?

[George] Come on, what's wrong?

[Aziz] Fuck you.

[George] No, tell me.
What's wrong?

[Phillip] When you're
in your 20s, like,

you don't realise
bad things can happen.

Yeah, 'young man' -
you could use that word

but we're also like, boys.

You are lost.

You got nothing figured out.

And the dangerous thing is

you think you got
everything figured out.

[Shahida] He could have
been that person

to show the masses that,
you know,

it doesn't matter
what you look like,

and ultimately,
you know, sadly,

that was his message,

but he fell into that trap.

[Phillip] The version I am now,
I would like to think,

that I would be
probing and poking,

and trying to help him
navigate a way out.

I don't think so.

[spraying sounds]

[gentle music]

[Said] He was only 22
when we all lost him.

I understand why people
put him on a pedestal,

like, I get it,

but I also think people
need to realise that

he's just a human being
and a young man.

Their favourite idols -
they feel, they live,

they breathe,
they bleed just like us.

I think the imperfect ones
are normally the best ones.

[PA announcer] You know
him as Chestbrah.

Ladies and gentlemen please
welcome, Said!

[crowd cheering and screaming]

[Said] People might not
understand why I do what I do.

The truth is, the last time
I saw him, in the coffin,

I gave him a kiss,

and I said to him that
I'll never stop doing...

[exhaling]
God, this is hard.

I'll never stop doing
what he started to do

and I'll live my life
for him and for me.

And, yeah, I've done that,
and I'll continue to do that.

[gentle piano music]

[Paolo] People can say
what they want about him,

but at the end of the day,

to have the resilience to come
back from a dying brother -

with the hate -
"Oh you're just doing it..."

"You just, you just took
your brother's name".

Blah, blah, blah, blah blah.

Like, there's not many people
I admire,

but I admire my friend Said's
tenacity to keep going

in the face of adversity,
like that is not easy.

[Said] You know, I will
always hold the flame strong.

Even though like,
Az isn't here today,

there is a happy ending
to this story.

[upbeat music]

[Phillip] Before he died,

his content that he's created,

inspired young men
all over the world.

[Phillip] And then
something happened.

The next generation
has come along.

They find his videos on whatever
platform's big at that time,

turn to the gym
and get in shape,

feel better about themselves

and change their lives
in a positive way.

One of the very first workout
routines that I ever did

was one that he posted for
free on bodybuilding.com.

[man] All these philosophies
that he made

that were funny at the time

but the messages behind it,
was life changing.

It gave me a lot of inspiration
to get through depression

and then to build my
confidence.

[man]
Zyzz's message - you know,

go out, do something
with your life,

you know, form your passions,
go and follow your dreams.

You only get one chance.

Do what you want.
Because life's short.

I think I still would have
been that scared little kid,

too afraid to actually
get out there

and actually better myself.

If it wasn't for him, you know,

I might not even be here
talking to you guys today.

Fucking love you Zyzz.
Forever mirin', brah.

We're all gonna make it.

[Paolo] You can be depressed
and down about it

or you can just look
at the person's life -

the life they've made

and the life they sort of
set up for their brother.

It gave Said
an opportunity to flourish.

He would not be happy with
us crying about his death -

making a documentary about it.

He would be laughing
and saying,

"Stop being a shit cunt,
stop being a little bitch, cunt.

"Fucking be happy".

There was always light at the
end of the tunnel for him.

[Shaun] He's changed so
many lives for the better.

That's his legacy there.

The impact he's left
in other people.

[Phillip] Name one
fitness icon that has died,

and 15 years later people
are still talking about him.

[YouTuber] I think
a lot of people

getting into this space
that we are in

were heavily inspired by Zyzz.

Zyss was never a Looksmaxxer.

Zyss was Hopecore for
health and fitness incarnate.

He showed that training
can be fun -

can be inspiring
and motivating.

And he showed that you can
enjoy the journey along the
way.

That is such a great and
powerful message

I will teach my children.

[Paolo] I think if he
was alive today,

he'd be not just
trash talking for clickbait,

he would be portraying

a much more positive, body
conscious, aware image.

[Phillip] I guess the point is

we never got to see
his arc finish.

Now, there are much more
polarising figures.

My job as a dad
is to raise my kids

to navigate and dissect -
take the good from the bad.

[Phillip] How do I do it?
Man, I'm learning that as I go.

With Az -

can we call him a good person?

In my opinion - the positive
he contributed to the world

far outweighs the negative.

Full stop.

- ["Cochon st.
- Antoine" byCommandant Coustou playing]