Amou Haji died on Sunday in the village of Dezhgah in the southern province of Fars, according to the Irna news agency.

A local official said the man had avoided "eating any fresh food in the past decades" and believed that if he cleaned himself he would become unwell.

Local media reported that he had not bathed in more than half a century, with villagers saying he had "experienced setbacks in his youth" that led to him refusing to wash.

On one occasion, Haji threw himself out of a car to avoid being taken to a river to have a wash by a group of men from his home village, Irna reported.

However, a few months ago, some locals persuaded him to have a wash for the first time.

He fell ill shortly after and later died, the news agency added.

Photos shared by several news outlets showed Haji covered in, what appeared to be, soot and smoking several cigarettes at once.

Following his death, the unofficial record of the world's dirtiest man could be passed to an Indian man, who has not bathed or brushed his teeth for decades.

According to a 2009 report by the Hindustan Times, Kailash Singh 'Kalau' claims he avoids washing "out of love for the country".

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Instead, he keeps clean by having a "fire bath", which sees him light a bonfire, smoke marijuana, and stand on one leg as he prays to Lord Shiva - one of the main deities of Hinduism.

"I'll end this vow only when all problems confronting the nation end," he told the news organisation.

It is not known what has happened to Mr Singh since 2009.