No homo but Rich Piana was a good looking guy back in the day. 6ft +, great shape, good smile, had hair and a good personality. He had everything going for him. People say that he was successful with what he chose to do in life. I'd argue in any walk of life he decided to go towards, he would have been just as successful but WITH the longevity.
Very true. It's a little sad when you put it that way. Rich most likely took 20-40 years off his life. I would even say it was in the upper range, as he spent so many years not just big - but extremely massive. It's hard to say for sure though. With someone like Mike Matarazzo who had a history of heart disease in his family, he may have died relatively young with or without pro bodybuilding. But in Rich's case, having pushed size to an even higher level than Mike [in addition to whatever he injected into his arms] may have lasted a little longer. It's hard to say exactly of course, but I think Rich could have made 70 or later, under a healthier lifestyle. While I personally consider his early death to be sad, he did live life on his own terms - exactly as he wanted to live.
Interestingly, someone on Getbig replied to the thread about Rich's wedding by writing something to the effect "Rich is in the last ten years of his life. Cut him some slack" Low and behold, it ended up being much less than ten years.