Aussie “looksmaxxer” Androgenic has paid tribute to fellow fitness influencer Connor Murphy, after the American YouTuber drowned in a lake following a mystery meltdown at his luxury Thai villa this week.Murphy, 31, allegedly spouted frenzied prayers as he went on a rampage through Lake Wood Village near Bangkok, with neighbours calling police in the early hours of July 7 when he was heard screaming and trashing the rental home before bolting outside, news wire service Asia Pacific Press reports.He was reportedly seen rolling on the street with his hands clasped together in prayer while uttering religious ramblings.When police arrived, the self-described “Giga Chad” fled toward the nearby golf course, where they found him swimming naked in the eight-foot-deep lake.Officers monitored him for hours but refused to come close, fearing he would drag them underwater.Murphy was later seen struggling to stay afloat before vanishing under the surface.Divers were deployed for a search-and-rescue operation at 2pm local time. After 30 minutes, they located Murphy’s dead body in the middle of the lake.He is believed to have drowned after suffering leg cramps.‘Rest in peace’Writing on X on Thursday, Androgenic called Murphy one of his “closest friends” and said he had stayed with him last month in Thailand.“Connor always stood out to me as the most interesting guy I’ve seen on the internet,” the 25-year-old wrote.“He largely conquered the material world very early — millions of YT subscribers, rich, good looking with a great physique, an abundance of women — and he said he felt alright at the time, but that something was eerily missing.“So instead of falling into the endless materialistic loop of wanting more of the exact thing that’s just been proven to lack fulfilment, he seeked [sic] an alternate path. He began meditating, taking psychedelics, and looking into spirituality and the concept of awakening, which I myself find fascinating.”Following Murphy’s death, internet users began sharing a clip from several years ago — incorrectly claiming it was his final video — in which he displays erratic behaviour, saying he is “really high” and “I feel like I’m dying every second”.“His ayahuasca trip in 2020 catapulted him into a state of manic grandiosity, where he faked his own death and literally ‘acted’ in disturbed and bizarre ways, but it’s critical to note that he felt mentally amazing throughout this entire period, in fact he spent over a year with a highly elevated mood, only to have it perturbed by his mentally troublesome ex-girlfriend at one point,” Androgenic wrote.Androgenic said Murphy pulled “ridiculous stunts like pretending to consume his own bodily fluids, acting like a lunatic etc, and sure, most of the audience thought he was ridiculous, cringe-worthy, and had ruined his life, but to him, he was still making good money and was so free from the need for external validation that it simply did not matter”.“I’ve taken away so much value from Connor, and I can’t say that about many people at all,” he added.“He was eccentric, and at some times he did push the boundary into insanity, but he truly was visionary and a masterful critical thinker. Did he take things too far this time? Absolutely, but it’s important to at least note that he had absolutely zero fear of death, and at the end of the day, he lived a great and happy life.“I don’t wish to emulate everything about him, but overall, Connor Murphy was one of the most interesting, intelligent and amazing guys I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. May he rest in peace.”Drugs probedPolice said he was being tested for drugs as they recovered two unused syringes and a white pill in his bag and car.“The body is currently undergoing an autopsy, and all evidence, including the white pills found inside the car, has been sent to a laboratory for examination,” Police Captain Weeraphong Rupsuay of Bang Phli district station said.“We are awaiting the autopsy results to determine whether narcotics or alcohol were present in his system. It is not yet known what type of pills were found or what the syringes were intended to be used for.“He is believed to have been living in Thailand for at least two years by continuously renewing his visa.“As for his apparent religious behaviour, it may have been his personal beliefs. He suddenly became frantic without warning, despite never having displayed such behaviour before.”Police found Murphy’s house was found in a shocking state, with black paint splashed and smeared across the walls, piles of rubbish strewn in the kitchen and sofas, dishes, decorations and various appliances stained with brown and yellow paint.The owner said Murphy had been renting the property for just two months.“The sofas and everything inside were ruined,” she said.“I loved this lakeside home and took great pride in it.“It’s worth around 22 million baht ($950,000), including the furniture and fittings, and now it’s been destroyed. I rented it out for 35,000 baht ($1500) a month and had chosen the tenant carefully.“He’d only been living here for two months, and until now there had been no problems. I never imagined I’d find my house like this.”Murphy’s 22-year-old Thai girlfriend said that before his rampage, he had invited her to go shopping, and she declined. He allegedly went berserk shortly after returning home.“He also went on a rampage around two years ago, but I don’t know if he had a similar history before coming to Thailand,” she said.“I don’t know if he used drugs either, and if he did, he never did so in front of me.“I often tried to stop him from doing certain things, and that led to us to living separately. As far as I know, he ran an online food supplement and fitness business with a friend.”‘Became agitated’Police Lieutenant Colonel Santirat Ngernman confirmed Murphy was staying in Thailand on a ‘digital nomad’ visa, which he renewed regularly.“He entered the country on a DTV visa and worked remotely selling fitness food supplements,” the officer added.“He was a very large, heavily built man, and it required several rescuers to recover him.“Initially, we received a report of an intoxicated foreign man shortly after midnight on July 7.“Patrol officers responded and found him intoxicated and shouting at the house.“When we questioned his 22-year-old girlfriend, she said he had asked her to go out and buy items with him, but she refused. He then went out alone and returned shouting at her. When we arrived, he became agitated with the officers and refused to let anyone approach him.“He then suddenly jumped into the lake and started swimming.“The housing estate is located within a golf course, and the lake is quite deep, likely above chest level, as is typical for golf course lakes.“Officers and golf course security guards remained at the scene monitoring the situation.“We did not dare take a boat close to him because we feared he might pull it over and cause it to capsize. He swam around for some time before sinking.“Officers and security guards later paddled a boat to where he had disappeared, but despite searching, they could not find him.“He sank in the middle of the lake, and it took some time for us to reach that location.“When we were unable to locate him, we called a diving rescue team to assist with the search.“He had lived in Thailand for three years with his Thai girlfriend, and they had been in a relationship for three years.“We suspect the drowning may have been caused by muscle cramps, as he had been in the water for an extended period and may have assumed that, as an athlete, he would be able to cope.“Regarding the pills found in the car, we have not yet determined what they are, as they could simply be the supplements he sells.“In any case, we must wait for the forensic test results.“Additionally, we found seven empty beer cans in front of the car.“However, we do not yet know whether any other substances, such as cannabis or something else, were involved.”‘Rolling on the ground’Estate security guard Lin recalled that Murphy arrived in a Grab vehicle, which stopped at the roundabout in front of the guard post.The taxi driver was reportedly terrified because of the tourist’s crazed behaviour, refusing to drive him further into the estate.Murphy then knocked on the window of a passing car before acting erratically and shouting loudly.“He had been living here for a few months and I had never seen that kind of behaviour from him before,” Lin said.“We followed him and saw him remove his shirt and leave behind his bag, which contained unidentified pills.“He then ran off and picked up a metal pole and pretended to use it for exercise. Later on, he was rolling on the ground and praying towards the earth and the sky before shouting and spreading his arms.“He also tried to pull a neighbour for a hug. We kept our distance and called the police for help.”In 2024, Murphy allegedly flew into a jealous rage and smashed up his Pattaya home with a golf club.Police said Murphy barricaded himself in a bathroom after the alleged rampage, which left the house wrecked and both him and his Thai girlfriend injured by shattered glass.Officers did not arrest the Los Angeles native after the woman declined to press charges.Murphy, who branded himself an ‘anti-shirt activist’ and a ‘Chad’, which is a slang term for an alpha male, handled several YouTube channels, including Connosis, Connor Murphy Talks, and Connor Murphy Official, which have a total of more than 2.4 million subscribers.One video tells viewers how to get a chiselled ‘Giga Chad’ square jaw.He posts a variety of content, including fitness advice, vlogs, pranks, and clips of himself flirting with women.Murphy also ran an OnlyFans account where he sold videos of himself having sex with women.He grew an online following by posting workout routines and motivational posts. However, fans noticed he shifted to more ‘psychedelic’ content in 2020, focusing on meditation and spirituality.His last YouTube video, posted on July 1, was titled “RIP Elon Muscular”. It showed him dribbling a ball in his home as he “absorbed the spirit of Elon” and “thanked him for his sacrifice”. — with Asia Pacific Press