An Iranian man, known to his community as Amou Haji, died on Oct. 23 at the age of 94. Referred to as “Uncle Haji,” an Iranian term of endearment for an older person, the rest of the world knew him as the “World’s Dirtiest Man.” His death occurred just a few months after he took his first bath in over 60 years.

Haji said “emotional setbacks” in his youth were his primary reason for not bathing, and he feared he would get sick if he ever used soap, the BBC reports.

A few months ago, fellow residents in his village of Dejgah, in the southern province of Fars, convinced Haji to take a bath. CBS News reported that the villagers took it upon themselves to take him inside a bathroom.

In 2013, a documentary entitled The Strange Life of Amou Haji centered on Haji and his unconventional hygiene habits.

Haji was seen roaming around the streets covered in soot, and while residents of Dejgah respected Haji’s stance on not bathing and were sympathetic to his fear of water making him sick, they still made attempts to get Haji to bathe.

CNN reported that a few years ago, a group took him to a nearby river to try to get him to bathe, but he threw himself out of the car and fled.

Photos of Haji’s conditions were captured by Iran media Twitter account @mennts.

الإعلان عن وفاة الرجل الملقّب بـ(أقذر شخص في العالم) لأنه لم يستحم منذ 50عام.
لم يستحم كل هذه المدة خوفاً من المرض، وهو إيراني أعزب اسمه "عمو حاجي" شره في التدخين، أخذه أهل القرية قبل أشهر ليستحم بالقوة ومات بعدها بعمر 94عام في قرية "دجة" غرب إيران وذلك بحسب وسائل إعلام إيرانية pic.twitter.com/u1itceW9eo
— لحظات – MOMENTS (@mennts) October 25, 2022

Tweet Courtesy of @mennts

dirtiest man

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week