Justin Bieber Lookalike Tobias Strebel Starred On ‘Botched’ & ‘My Strange Addiction’: Fame Dream Dead At 35 [Photos]

Justin Bieber lookalike Tobias Strebel used the stage name Toby Sheldon and had hopes of a singing career. But for the 35-year-old, it was the dream of looking just like his idol, Justin, that made him famous. The Bieber lookalike spent thousands of dollars, suffered through an multiple plastic surgery procedures, and appeared on various talk shows, including Botched and My Strange Addiction, to discuss his intense desire to look like his idol.

But now Tobias, after $100,000 worth of cosmetic surgery and countless hours talking on TV about his decision to become a Justin Bieber lookalike, has died, found in a California Motel 6 in which drugs also were discovered, reported ABC News.

Strebel explained how he came up with his goal, and it focused on fame.

“Once Justin shot to fame, his face was everywhere and I all I kept thinking when I saw his picture was, ‘I want to look like him.’ “

But what went wrong for the Bieber lookalike? At this point, it is known only that Strebel initially became a cause of concern when he was not spotted in public after the last sighting on August 18 in West Hollywood, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The young man, who became known as a Justin Bieber lookalike rather than his dream of a singer on his own, passed away on August 21 at 5 p.m. The reason for his death has not been released, but an autopsy was done.

However, a break-up with Tobias’ boyfriend may have been linked to his death, reported the New York Daily News.

Because of his appearances on TV shows such as Botched and My Strange Addiction, the Justin Bieber lookalike came to be known as a reality TV star. It was in 2013 that Tobias soared to fame when his pictures started to trend, showing how much he looked like his idol.

Strebel even underwent “smile surgery” to look more similar, which resulted in his appearance on Botched. And it was then he explained precisely what appealed to him about Justin’s appearance.

“What brought me to Bieber was the whole package: the full cheeks, the full temples, the bright open eyes, the full luscious lips, and spatial framing … (he’s) just extraordinarily beautiful.”

But what made him want to change his looks so dramatically? The pop singer lookalike explained that he was bullied for how he looked, according to My Strange Addiction.

As Justin became famous, the Bieber lookalike dreamed that by having as many surgical procedures as he could afford, he, too, could achieve that elusive concept known as happiness.

[Images via My Strange Addiction]