Real life Tarzan dies of liver cancer after living in jungle for 40 years

A man dubbed the “real-life Tarzan” who was isolated from the modern world in the Vietnamese jungle for 40 years has died of liver cancer.

Ho Van Lang returned to the “civilised world” eight years ago after surviving 41 years in the wild with his father.

Lang and his dad, Ho Van Thanh, fled for the depths of the forest when a US bomb fell on their home and killed his mum and two siblings during the Vietnam War.

The duo lived entirely off of the land – eating honey, fruit and forest creatures, building shelters and fending for themselves.

When they emerged from the jungle to seek help for Thanh’s deteriorating health in 2013, they thought the war was still raging on.

Lang died of liver cancer on Monday after meeting the “fatal consequences” of “modern life”.

His friend, photographer Alvaro Cerezo, said the cause of his death was likely linked to “eating processed foods and sometimes drinking alcohol”.

Cerezo said: ‘I’m so sad to see him go, but for me his passing is also a liberation because I know he was suffering in the last months.

‘He was a beautiful human being, to forget him will be impossible, I will miss him everyday.

‘But I didn’t like seeing him living in civilisation. I was always concerned that he and his body wouldn’t be able to handle such a drastic change.

Lang and his dad were living in their jungle home in the Tra Bong District when a group of villagers searching for firewood stumbled upon them.

Thanh’s health began to deteriorate in 2013 and Lang and his older brother Ho Van Tri decided to take him back to civilisation.

Thanh died from an unknown cause in 2017.