Haji, a resident of Dezh Gah in the southern Fars province of Iran, avoided eating any fresh food and believed that he would get sick if he took a bath and that being clean harmed your health, the head of the district told the Iranian IRNA news agency.

Haji ate roadkill and smoked a pipe full of animal excrement. Local doctors said that he appeared to be healthy, despite his lack of hygiene. . .

Local residents respected him and his decision to avoid cleanliness, but a few years ago a group of youth tried to bring him in a car to the river to bath. When he realized that they wanted him to bathe, he jumped out of the car and ran away.

Finally, a few months ago, the villagers convinced him to take a bath. He fell ill shortly afterwards and died on Sunday.