Former bodybuilder John Meadows died at his home last weekend. The cause of his death is quite unclear, but described as peaceful.

Meadows amassed greater following after bodybuilding career when he made the decision to take his fitness knowledge to YouTube, where he attracted over half a million followers.

"This morning John passed away unexpectedly and peacefully in their home," read the latest post in Meadows' Facebook account on Sunday on behalf of his wife, Mary. "As you can imagine, this is a complete shock to her and the boys."

"She will update as soon as she can," the message continued. "Please know she is very thankful for all the prayers and support she knows her and the boys will receive from you all."

As of Tuesday afternoon, the family had not divulged the cause of the fitness icon's death. Although it has been reported by an outlet that he died in his sleep.

What underlying health condition that could have triggered that however, is quite unknown. Known also as the Mountain Dog, John is survived by his wife Mary and their two sons, as reported by the New York Post.

Although too early to tell now unless the family releases an official statement, some surmised that his death might have something to do with a 2005 diagnosis.

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According to People magazine, Meadows was diagnosed with idiopathic myointimal hyperplasia of the mesenteric veins back in that year. The heartbreaking thing with this condition is that It is an "uncommon and poorly understood" one, that preys on relatively healthy individuals. it is said to be mostly occurring amongst colon of relatively young and healthy men. The condition is said to destroy one's colon health according to a paper published in Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

Despite his condition, he never stopped pursuing fitness as a career.

He continuously competed in bodybuilding tournaments after the diagnosis and in 2015, was able to attain a breakthrough when he earned first place in the 2015 NPC Universe competition in the Masters Over 40 category.

On YouTube, Meadows shared to his growing list of followers his his love of bodybuilding. Avid fans can access various many shoulders, triceps and chest workouts. At present, the channel has already amassed more than 82 million views.

As a testament to his great following, his death caused a ripple of Youtube videos, tweets, and many more that paid tribute to him.