Who is Chanel Jansen? Rich Piana’s girlfriend and Instagram sensation who spoke out after the bodybuilder’s death
BODY building star and long-time steroid user Rich Piana has died after spending two weeks in a medically induced coma.
His girlfriend Chanel Jansen was cutting Rich’s hair when he collapsed in her arms, but what else do we know about the fitness model?
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Who is Chanel Jansen?
Fitness model Chanel Jansen, also known as Chanel Renee, is the girlfriend of superstar bodybuilder Rich Piana.
While Rich is probably better known online, Chanel herself has a large following with over 89,000 followers on Instagram.
She also uploads videos to her YouTube channel, where she has received over 2,400,000 views since she began posting.
On her Instagram, Chanel describes herself as a videographer, photographer and world traveler.
After Rich collapsed in the bathroom, his girlfriend tried to catch him but couldn’t due to his huge size.
What did Chanel Jansen say about Rich Piana’s death?
After the social media star was placed in an induced coma following a “medical emergency,” Chanel confirmed on Instagram on August 18 that Piana was still alive.
She said: “I will not be posting any updates after this until further notice. I just want to make it clear.” [Piana] is still alive.
“All I and his family ask for are POSITIVE thoughts, prayers and love.
“PLEASE I ASK you all to have some respect and realize how EXTREMELY difficult this is for us. Thank you all, stay positive and send good wishes, prayers and love.”
However, Rich’s estranged wife posted a touching tribute to her ex on August 25, confirming that he had died.
Jansen made the comments in an emotional video posted to her lover’s YouTube page to clear up “rumors” about the bodybuilder’s death.
In a tearful account, she detailed the moment the Californian collapsed as she cut his hair in the bathroom of her home.
She explained: “[Rich] said, “I want you to cut my hair.” He leaned over and I thought he was stretching his neck so I could cut his neck.
“Suddenly he started turning back to me. I said ‘Baby, are you okay?’
“His eyes rolled into the back of his head.
“I tried to catch him, but he was sweating, fell and hit his head. His eyes were wide open and he was panting.”
After calling 911, she was advised to roll him onto his back and start compressions.
“I jumped up and down on him with all my might to make his heart beat faster,” she said.
“[It was] Ten minutes before the paramedics arrived. When they came in they said he was unresponsive.
“They took him into the living room and worked on him for 20 minutes. They defibered him to get him back and took him to the hospital in an ambulance.”
After his death, she spoke out again, criticizing critics who suspected that steroids and Class A drugs were behind his death.
She denied taking illegal drugs and said he did not “drink excessive amounts of alcohol” before his death.
Who was Rich Piana?
Rich Piana, 46, was a professional bodybuilder from Florida who captivated over 1.2 million followers on Instagram with his muscular selfies.
In the final years of his life, he took the internet by storm with his manipulated social media posts, workout plans, and supplement business.
In 2016, he revealed that he weighed a whopping 22 pounds and that number was actually “less” than previous gains.
Fitness was in his blood. His mother is also a bodybuilder and introduced him to the sport when they lived in her native California.
