Amou Haji, an Iranian man known as the “dirtiest man in the world” for not showering for decades, has died. He was 94. Haji, not his true name, but an endearing moniker given to the old, died on Sunday in the town of Dejgah, according to the New York Post, citing official media.
According to IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency), Haji had delayed showering due to concerns about “getting sick.” However, “villagers had taken him to a bathroom to wash” for the first time a few months earlier.
“Haji lived in isolation for most of his life in an open brick hut, which villagers made after he started sleeping in a hole in the ground, according to the reporters.
Haji’s eccentricities were attributed by locals to “emotional setbacks” in his youth. According to the Tehran Times, Haji also shunned fresh food, preferring decaying porcupines, and smoked an animal waste pipe.
In 2013, a short documentary film titled “The Strange Life of Amou Haji” was reportedly filmed about his life.