Amou Haji, nicknamed the ‘world’s dirtiest man’ for not bathing for 65 years, has passed away at the age of 94.

The ‘world’s dirtiest man’, Amou Haji – an affectionate nickname for an elderly person – has passed away at the age of 94 in Iran. Haji went 65 years without putting soap or water to his body, believing they would make him sick. Ironically, he took his first bath in decades a few months ago at the behest of his fellow villagers. 

As reported by the IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency), Haji passed away in the village of Dejgah on Sunday. He would reportedly mostly be covered in soot and resided in a small shack. 

While exact reasons for why he refused to bathe are unknown, accounts from villagers claimed that he had undergone ‘emotional setbacks in his youth’, leading him to forsake washing. Villagers also claimed that persuading him to bathe or clean up made him ‘sad’. 

In addition to forfeiting bathing, Haji also avoided cleanliness in other forms – he stayed away from fresh food and instead fed on roadkill, and smoked a pipe filled with animal excreta. 

Haji’s life was the subject of a 2013 documentary titled The Strange Life of Amou Haji. 

Haji’s title of the ‘world’s dirtiest man’ is succeeded (unofficially) by an Indian by the name of Kailash Singh ‘Kalau’, who claims to not have bathed in 35 years. While he claims he’s forsaken bathing to end the problems plaguing his nation, his neighbours opine that it may also be a long prayer for a son, since he has seven daughters. 

Instead, Kalau prefers taking ‘fire baths’ – he lights a bonfire, smokes marijuana, and stands on one leg praying.

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