The "dirtiest man in the world" died at the age of 94 in Iran

Tehran (AFP) - An Iranian man who was known as "the dirtiest person in the world" for not taking a shower for decades has died at the age of 94, state media reported Tuesday.

The man, known as "Amo Haji", who had not bathed for more than half a century, passed away on Sunday in the village of Dakkah in Fars Province in the south of the Islamic Republic, according to the official IRNA news agency reported on Tuesday.

The agency quoted a local official as saying that the man was avoiding taking a shower for fear that this would lead to "infection with the disease."

The reputation of the man who spent his life celibate became popular. Local media indicated that a documentary was prepared about him in 2013, entitled "The Strange Life of Uncle Haji."

Erna indicated that months ago, "for the first time, some villagers brought him to the bathroom to wash."