Bodybuilder dies at 20 after suffering heart attack due to severe dehydration

Wednesday, March 5, 2025 - Bodybuilder Jodi Vance has d!ed at the age of 20 after her heart gave out, according to a statement from her family and loved ones. 

Vance, who was also a coach, was in Ohio attending the Arnold Sports Festival when she d!ed last week. She began to feel sick while there and was taken to a local hospital. 

“Her heart stopped due to complications of severe dehydration,” the statement from her family read. “Despite all efforts by the hospital, they were unable to revive her.” 

The circumstances surrounding Vance's de@th are not known at this time, but according to her family it was "sudden and unexpected." 

“She was a beautiful person inside and out and she will be missed every single day,” her family said. 
 Vance’s loved ones encouraged others hearing about her de@th to prioritize their health. 

Justin Mihaly, who was Vance's coach, said she was taking two "extremely hazardous" substances to improve her physique at the time of her de@th, without his knowledge or her family's. 

"Recently, her health had become quite concerning and now we know why, now we have the answers," Mihaly said in a video posted on Instagram. "Many people who loved Jodi, including myself, tried to get her to pull off the gas pedal a bit, and anyone who knows Jodi knows how challenging that would be." 

In another video, Mihaly spoke about the dangers of taking diuretics and said bodybuilding would be better off without them. Diuretics are pills that help the body get rid of excess fluid and salt. 

Diuretics, also known as water pills, are a class of drugs that increase urine production and help the body get rid of excess fluid and salt. They are used to treat high blood pressure, edema, and heart failure.  

Fitness supplement company, Eminent Nutrition, who Vance represented as an athlete, honored the late bodybuilder in a post on Instagram as "an amazing, unique, and beautiful soul." 

"One of our favorite memories is watching the passion and love Jodi poured into others," the post read. "Jodi's contagious energy and love was something we can all cherish and remember."