Doctors attempted to attend to him at the event, but he was unable to be resuscitated.
His wife shared a mourning message about her partner following his death highlighting her love for her now departed husband.
“Rest in peace my eternal love, life may be over but my love will be forever, your departure left a void, but your memory will remain Mourning,” she said in a translated message.
Speaking to a local Brazilian news outlet, Silva explained that her husband had taken diuretics ahead of competing – a drug that assists the body in getting rid of extra fluid and water. This may have contributed to his dehydration.
She said: “He was very dehydrated. Very dry, unfortunately”
Speaking about his dedication to bodybuilding, she added: “This is an addictive and at the same time competitive sport. Antônio was very focused on this sport.”
The Navega Open released a statement about Souza’s death at the event, saying: “Our condolences to (the) family and friends for this inestimable loss.”
Souza’s sister, Mary Braz, also praised the 26-year-old for his dedication to the sport.
She said: “His dream was to be recognized for doing what he loved and to be able to give our mother a better life. He was always very focused, he never waited for anyone for anything.”
“He always knew his goal and he literally gave his life for this sport, he competed until his last breath.”
Many of Souza’s friends and family have also changed their profile pictures on social media to commemorate the bodybuilder. Changing it from their previous picture to an image of him flexing while at the gym, with a note of his birthday and death day.
