Igor Vovkovinskiy
Ukrainian-American known for being America's tallest person
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Igor Vovkovinskiy[a] (also known as Igor Ladan; September 18, 1982 – August 20, 2021) was a Ukrainian-American law student, actor and tallest living person in the United States,[1] at 7 feet 8+1⁄3 inches (234.5 cm), briefly taking the record from George Bell.
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Igor Vovkovinskiy | |
|---|---|
Ігор Вовковинський | |
 Vovkovinskiy waves to the crowd at a basketball game in Houston in 2013 | |
| Born | September 18, 1982 |
| Died | August 20, 2021 (aged 38) |
| Known for | Tallest living person in the United States |
| Height | 7 ft 8.33 in (234.52 cm) |
Originally from Ukraine, Vovkovinskiy moved to Rochester, Minnesota in 1989 to be treated at the Mayo Clinic.[2] At that time, he was already at least 6 feet (182.9 cm) tall.[3]
Vovkovinskiy acted in commercials and films, including the 2011 comedy Hall Pass, and became better known for wearing a T-shirt that read "World's Biggest Obama Supporter" to a Barack Obama rally.[4] He was the first official tallest living person from two countries. He joined singer Zlata Ognevich in representing Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013.[1]
Vovkovinskiy's height was attributed to a tumor pressing on his pituitary gland, causing it to release an excessive amount of growth hormone.[5] In 2019, he said on his YouTube channel that he was undergoing treatment for a heart condition.[6]
Vovkovinskiy was hospitalized for heart disease and died on August 20, 2021, at age 38.[7][8]