Australian fitness influencer Jaxon Tippet, who has tragically passed away following a suspected heart attack in Turkey, helped countless followers with his words of gym wisdom. And he was also very open about a personal struggle that left him in the ‘worst state’ of his life
A fitness influencer who tragically dropped dead during a family holiday previously spoke about the ‘hell’ he’d endured after overcoming a steroid addiction.
Bodybuilder Jaxon Tippet, from Australia’s Gold Coast, died after suffering a suspected heart attack during a trip to Turkey, shortly after his 30th birthday. A well-liked podcaster, model and coach, who had nearly 230,000 Instagram followers, Jaxon was an inspiration to many when it came to health and fitness, and he didn’t hold back when it came to opening up about his own personal struggles.
Opening up during a 2022 episode of the Good Humans podcast, the popular gym guru confided that a previous steroid addiction had nearly torn his life apart.
Jaxon very nearly ended up behind bars in 2018, after police officers discovered him with steroids and a syringe on his person during a search. This ‘rock bottom’ moment prompted Jaxon to seek a new path in life, with his Christian faith providing guidance.
Single dad Jaxon, who welcomed son Rocky in December 2023, recalled: “I lost a girlfriend, I nearly lost my family from it and I nearly went to jail as I got caught with my own personal use of steroids. I didn’t go to jail and the reason is, I truly believe God was looking over me. He saw some potential in me and he saw a greater person in me.
“That was my sign that I am meant to do something with my life; not just be in jail, not just be this steroid addict Once I knew that the third one could have come with a jail penalty and not only that, just how it was affecting my mum and dad – like, they’re in tears – I just hit rock bottom. I was like, f*** this, this is not me, and I just spiralled out it.”
In a poignant Instagram post shared last December, Jaxon reflected on how far he’d come in life since this dark period. He wrote: “Six years ago I was in the worst state of my life, I had no job no vision or purpose in life. I was homeless at one stage, my health was on the edge of ending due to health reasons from drug addiction, I was facing jail time, and was heavily suffering suicidal thoughts daily while trying to attempt suicide three times.
“What saved me Jesus I prayed with my family on the exact day I walked into my last court case and walked out a free man, since then I have never looked back. It’s been one hell of a journey but I wouldn’t change it for anything. As the saying goes sometimes you have to hit an all-time low to hit an all-time high.”
On October 31 – Jaxon’s 30th birthday – the fitness buff shared a list of ’30 life lessons I’ve learnt now I’m 30′. The list now reads as bittersweet in retrospect, with Jaxon declaring: “Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.” He also wrote: “The best is yet to come.”
Less than two weeks later, Jaxon passed away, with his loved ones issuing a heartfelt message via his Instagram account, paying tribute to a ‘beautiful soul’ who ‘had such a positive impact on the world’. A GoFundMe page set up to raise enough money to bring Jaxon’s body home has so far raised nearly $52,000 AUD (£26,000) and counting out of a $55,000 AUD (£28,000) target.
The page reads: “It comes with such heartbreak and heavy hearts that our beloved Jaxon has tragically passed away while on a holiday to Turkey. There really are no words to describe this sort of pain, and we know a lot of people will be feeling this heartbreak with us as he was loved by so many.
“Jaxon would help anybody and everybody around him and now I hope we can get around share and mark to help assist in any way we can, starting with raising the funds to bring our son, brother, uncle and friend home and assist with funeral expenses. If you are in a position to help, we (as a family) would really appreciate it.”
You can check out Jaxon’s GoFundMe page here
*Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email frank@talktofrank.com, message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.
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