Paul DeMayo (September 12, 1967 – June 2, 2005) was an American
IFBB professional
bodybuilder
Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic ...
.
Biography
Paul DeMayo was nicknamed "Quadzilla" for the size of his massive
quadriceps
The quadriceps femoris muscle (, also called the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads) is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the sole extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large ...
. He had what many would call a "god-like" physique.
Born and raised in
Malden, Massachusetts
Malden is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 66,263 people.
History
Malden is a hilly woodland area no ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, DeMayo first competed in bodybuilding when he placed 1st in the Teenage Massachusetts State championships. His first
National Physique Committee
The National Physique Committee (NPC) is the largest amateur bodybuilding organization in the United States. Amateur bodybuilders compete in competitions from local to national competitions sanctioned by the NPC. While the term "bodybuilding" is ...
(NPC) event was in 1988, where he took 7th place in the NPC Junior USA heavyweight class. He took 1st place in the NPC Nationals Championship event in 1994.
[ His only ]Mr. Olympia
Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest in the open division at Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually and is sanct ...
was in 1995, when he placed 12th. DeMayo appeared in many fitness and magazine articles, including being featured on the cover of ''Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
''.
Death
DeMayo died on June 2, 2005. in Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
from a heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...
overdose
A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. Retrieved on September 20, 2014. .California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
with her to train in Gold's Gym
Gold's Gym International, Inc. is an American chain of international wikt:co-ed, co-ed fitness centers (commonly referred to as gyms) originally started by Joe Gold in Venice, Los Angeles, Venice Beach, California. Each gym offers a variety of ca ...
. He then was signed to an endorsement contract by sports nutritional supplement
A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement a person's diet by taking a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extracted from food sources, or that are synthetic ( ...
company Met-Rx
MET-Rx is an American brand of nutritional supplements originally produced by Met-Rx, Inc., a California company started by Scott Connelly, and sold several times since.
The brand is best known for pioneering a new category of bodybuilding supple ...
and forced to compete in the 1995 Mr. Olympia against his wishes. He placed 12th and retired shortly afterwards.
DeMayo spent two years in the Billerica House of Correction (Middlesex County Jail) for shooting his gun in the air after an argument with his girlfriend and possession of percodan
Oxycodone/aspirin (trade name Percodan) is a combination drug marketed by Endo Pharmaceuticals. It is a tablet containing a mixture of 325 mg (5 Grain (unit), grains) of aspirin and 4.8355 mg of oxycodone, oxycodone HCl (equivalent t ...
. Some months before his death he told friends he was working at Gold's Gym on Lansdowne Street in Boston, but it was revealed later that he was fired several months earlier due to a substance abuse
Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...
problem.
Contest history
* 1988 NPC Junior USA HeavyWeight - 7th
* 1989 NPC Junior Nationals HeavyWeight - 4th
* 1990 NPC Junior Nationals HeavyWeight - 3rd
* 1991 NPC Junior Nationals Heavyweight - 1st & Overall Winner
* 1991 NPC HeavyWeight - 3rd
* 1992 NPC Nationals HeavyWeight - 4th
* 1993 NPC USA Championships HeavyWeight - 3rd
* 1994 NPC Nationals Heavyweight - 1st & Overall Winner
* 1995 Mr. Olympia - 12th
* 1995 IFBB Grand Prix England - 10th
* 1995 IFBB Grand Prix Germany - 9th
* 1995 IFBB Grand Prix Spain - 9th
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Demayo, Paul
1967 births
2005 deaths
American male bodybuilders
Deaths by heroin overdose in Massachusetts
American professional bodybuilders
20th-century American sportsmen