A gay makeup influencer has been beaten to death while dressed in women’s clothes during a visit to a coastal resort with pals.

Glaubedson Duarte, better known online as Glau Duarte, was a makeup influencer who had 92,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel and over 120,000 followers on Instagram, where he collaborated with brands such as Playboy.

His unconscious body was found beaten and bloodied on Itagua Beach in the coastal municipality of Ubatuba in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo on Wednesday, 19th January.

During the attack, the influencer’s mobile phone and belongings were stolen.

Duarte, who came from the municipality of Embu das Artes just outside Sao Paulo city, was visiting the coastal area with a group of friends and went out that night to watch a concert.

The influencer was reportedly wearing a dress and women’s shorts while out with pals.

On Wednesday night, while walking back to the hotel with his friends, he stopped at a kiosk and told the rest of the group he would follow on shortly.

Hours later, his pals learned that he had been found unconscious and half-naked on the beach after being badly beaten, according to the news site G1.

A passing nurse found him and called for help. He was then taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on the morning of 20th January.

His friend Henrique Tome said: “He was disfigured, with many injuries on his face. There were no wounds on his body. I couldn’t even recognise my friend. It’s very sad to see a person’s life taken like this, for no reason. He was a very hardworking person who fought for the common good. It’s very painful.”

His friends and family said they believe he was the victim of a homophobic attack. However, while not ruling out the motive, the police pointed out that he was also robbed and cannot yet confirm why he was fatally beaten.