An Iranian man who hadn’t bathed in more than 60 years died on Sunday at 94, according to local reports.
The man was known to his community as Amou Haji or Uncle Haji, an Iranian term of endearment for an older person. Most notably, he became known as “the world’s dirtiest man” for choosing not to wash himself for six decades – fearing he would get sick if he ever used “soap and water,” according to Iran’s government-funded IRNA news agency, via AFP. In the report, Haji cited “emotional setbacks in his youth” as a primary reason for not bathing.
Haji, who died in the tiny Iranian town of Dejgah and was from the southern province of Fars, washed for the first time several months back, according to IRNA, via BBC.
IRNA also reported that years of not bathing left Haji with skin covered in “soot and pus.” He was seen in photos smoking multiple cigarettes over the years.
In 2014, Haji told The Tehran Times his favorite meal was porcupine, and that he lived between a hole in the ground and a brick shack built by townspeople. Haji did not have any known relatives, although the townspeople were known to take care of him.
A documentary, “The Strange Life of Amou Haji,” was made about his life in 2013, according to Iran media outlets.
USA TODAY
