MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ukraine born US tallest man, 2.35 meters, dies at age 38

Igor not only outstood among the crowd but was wearing a T shirt that read “World's Obama biggest supporter”.

The tallest man in the United States, 2 meters 35 centimetres has died of heart failure, his family reported on Facebook. Originally from Ukraine, Igor Voykoyinsky, 38, was living in the city of Rochester, Minnesota, famous for its medical schools and medical facilities.

Igor as a child suffered from a tumour that caused excessive production of growth hormones. His parents then decided to move to Rochester for medical care, but Igor kept growing.

In effect at the age of 27, he reached a record height in the US and as such was confirmed and registered in the Guinness Book of Records.

In 2013 during the Eurovision Song Festival, Igor carried on stage the representative for Ukraine. And in 2009, during a political rally, he caught the eye of then-president Barak Obama: Igor not only outstood among the crowd but was wearing a T-shirt that read “World's Obama biggest supporter”. He managed to meet the US president and shake hands.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the tallest man on earth currently is the Turkish sultan Kösen who measures is two meters 51 centimetres.

However, the tallest man in modern times was the US-born Robert Wadlow, with 2,72 meters. As Igor, he also suffered from an abnormal production of growth hormones and died in 1940, aged 22.