'World's dirtiest man' dies just weeks after taking his first wash in 60 years

A man who went 64 years without washing died just months after being forced to have his first wash in decades.

Amou Haji, who was dubbed the “world’s dirtiest man”, died at the age of 94 died on Sunday in the village of Dejgah according to Iranian state media.

Haji didn’t shower for around 67 years and claimed he did it because he feared it would bring him back luck and make him sick.

According to local news, villagers had taken Haji to a bathroom to wash just months before he passed away.

IRNA news agency wrote: “Not long after, he fell ill and finally, on Sunday… he gave up his life.”

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Haji was pictured covered in dirt and soot and allegedly had an aversion to soap and water. It’s claimed he even hated the thought of bathing.

Not only did Haji not want to bathe, but he also wouldn’t eat fresh fruit or drink and lived off rotten porcupine and up to five litres a day of water drank from a rusty oil can. Rather than tobacco, he would smoke dried animal faeces in a pipe.

Locals who were concerned about his welfare built him a brick shack to shelter in and convinced him to shower a few months before he died after learning he was lonely due to a lack of friends.

Despite his unusual way of life, Haji remained in remarkably good health. Earlier this year, a team of doctors, led by Dr Gholamreza Mowlavi who is a professor at the Tehran School of Public Health, tested Haji for diseases such as HIV and hepatitis.

They were amazed to find that he had no bacterial or parasite infections apart from Trichinosis, which comes from eating raw meat and for which Haji suffered no symptoms.

Doctors concluded that he must have built up an extremely strong immune system after years of living in such poor conditions.

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