After spending nearly $60,000 on cosmetic surgery to transform himself into a human Ken doll, Celso Santebañes died earlier this month at the age of 20 from a rare blood cancer.

Born in Brazil, Santebañes quickly rose to fame after winning several modeling competitions as a teenager and catching the eye of a Sao Paulo talk show talent scout at the age of 15, reports news.com.au. He then started taking acting classes as his career continued to blossom, helping him gain national stardom. Eventually, he decided to change his name from Celso Borges Pereira to Santebañes, after his favorite Mexican sitcom character.

Around this time people started comparing his looks to the iconic Ken doll. He then became obsessed with the toy and emulating Barbie's boyfriend. According to The Mirror, he underwent surgical procedures to his nose, chin and jaw, in addition to getting silicone implants in his chest.

It wasn't long before he gained international attention for his unique look. He also started charging up to $20,000 for public appearances and launched a line of Celso dolls in Los Angeles.

However, his career came to a crashing halt in January 2015 when he was diagnosed with leukemia. After a five-month struggle, Santebañes died from bacterial pneumonia that was brought on by the rare blood cancer at the Federal University of Uberlândia Clinical Hospital in Brazil, according to the Yahoo Brasil News.

"Today, I start a new cycle in my life," he told reporters in January.

He also admitted that his battle with cancer changed his overall outlook on life.

"I am starting chemotherapy and I admit I'm a little concerned about some side effects, like hair loss, nausea, my body's rejection (of chemotherapy), among other things, but I am no longer concerned with the issue of aesthetics. For me that doesn't matter. What matters is my health now, and I will fight for it," he explained.

His looks, health and strength began fading following the chemo treatment.

"Everyone who wants to be pretty, who wants to be perfect, to call attention to themselves, [it's] to supplant this lack of ... of love, perhaps," he told Hoje Em Dia via Latin Times.

He also promised that he would not get any more cosmetic surgery if he survived.

Santebañes died on June 4 and was buried in Sao Paulo over the weekend.