Pro Body Builder Alix Small Dead At 26

Alix Small, a two-time IFBB Pro League Fitness champion who made it all the way to the Olympia stage, has died. She was only 26.

Small's mother shared the heartbreaking news with Beyond The Stage TV, which then announced it to its followers on social media.

The athlete's cause of death hasn't been made public, and the circumstances around her passing are still unclear.

Tributes have been pouring in from across the bodybuilding world since ... including fellow IFBB pro Phoebe Goodwin, who called Small funny, caring and thoughtful, and remembered her being there for her after she earned her own pro card.

The Scotland native was a rising star in the sport -- she got her pro card at just 19, and won her first pro show, the 2021 Europa Pro Championships in Spain, the same year.

She followed it up in 2022 with a win at the Mr. Big Evolution Pro in Portugal ... earning another Olympia invite, however, she was forced to pull out with health issues and never again competed as a pro.

Small was also open about her battle with anorexia, which she said started when she was 15. Alix credited bodybuilding with helping her recover, shifting her focus to getting strong.