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.
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) |
| Nationality | Ukrainian-American |
| Known for | Tallest living person in the United States |
| Height | 7 ft 8.33 in (234.52 cm) |
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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]
See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Eurovision Song Contest won by Denmark, BBC News (19 May 2013)
- ^ Tribune (Minneapolis), Jean Hopfensperger Star. "Public rises to help world's tallest man buy shoes". Post and Courier.
- ^ Meet the tallest man in the world, 60 Minutes Australia (23 June 2018)
- ^ "President has no trouble spotting his biggest fan". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2020-11-01. Retrieved 2020-10-28..
- ^ Rupar, Aaron. "Igor Vovkovinskiy, America's tallest man, lives in Rochester, can't find shoes". City Pages. Archived from the original on 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- ^ "IgorTheUkrainian - YouTube". youtube.com.
- ^ "Rochester Man -Tallest in the United States- Has Died".
- ^ "Igor Vovkovinskiy, tallest man in US, dies in Minnesota". AP NEWS. 2021-08-23. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
External links
edit- Igor Vovkovinskiy at IMDb
- 60 minutes Australia 2012
- IgorTheUkrainian His YouTube channel