- R. Sharath Jois is a fitness educator who had gained a legion of famous clients
- He passed away on Monday in Virginia, The Hindu has reported
- His cause of death has not yet been announced
A celebrity yoga instructor who taught stars like Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow has died suddenly at age 53.
R. Sharath Jois, a fitness educator who had gained a legion of famous clients, passed away on Monday in Virginia, The Hindu has reported.
His cause of death has not been announced; he is survived by his wife and two children.
Jois’ grandfather K. Pattabhi Jois was known for popularizing ashtanga yoga, and he started helping his grandfather teach it when he was only 19 years old.
He went on to become the director at the Sharath Yoga Center in Mysore, India, in 2007.
A celebrity yoga instructor who taught stars like Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow has died suddenly at age 53
In recent years, he began teaching his practices in the US to a slew of stars, including Madonna, Gwyneth, and Sting.
He had embarked on a yoga teaching tour around America in October, and was in Virginia for one of the tour stops when he tragically died.
On the day of his passing, he shared footage from a class he had run at the Contemplative Sciences Center in the University of Virginia.
He was set to head to San Antonio, Texas, this weekend; he also had workshops scheduled in Mysuru, Sydney, and Dubai in the upcoming months.
The Yoga instructor spoke about working with A-listers to Times of India back in 2006.
He said, ‘Whether it’s Madonna, Sting, or Gwyneth, once they enrolled in the classes they’ve been very disciplined.
‘In class, they’re like any students, minus stardom and celebrity status.’