Today I received some very sad news from multiple sources regarding former IFBB professional bodybuilder Mat Duvall, who apparently was found dead in his bathroom. Matt was only 40 years old. At this point, the cause of his death is a mystery but, as the details come in, we’ll keep the site updated.
Mat was one of the last true stars of the NPC. He had fans all over the world who would attend show, follow him on the internet and anxiously check out the results of the NPC national level shows each year just to see how Mat placed. He ended up getting his pro card in 2003 by winning the Overall at NPC Nationals. His IFBB Pro career was disappointing for Mat, as he never placed well. He later retired from bodybuilding to pursue a career in professional wrestling.
If you grew up reading the muscle magazines in the 1990's and early 2000's like me, then there is absolutely no way you could forget Mat’s ads for Muscletech. This behemouth of a man, with arms the size of my waist, doing seated overhead dumbbell extentions with 100 pound dumbbells was truly a sight to see!
I recently met Mat for the first time at a show in Florida with Dave Palumbo. Dave and Mat were long time friends and, even though they hadn’t seen each other in a while, they would quickly pick right back up where they left off. Mat seemed to be in good spirits at the time and he told us about some new exciting business ventures he was involved in. He still seemed to love bodybuilding.
Rest in peace, Mat.
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