Rochester's Igor Vovkovinskiy, Tallest Man In America, Dies At 38
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Igor Vovkovinskiy, known as the tallest man in America and a resident of Rochester, has died, according to a Facebook post from his mother.
Svetlana Vovkovinska said he died Friday night of heart disease. He was 38 years old.
Vovkovinskiy came to Minnesota from Ukraine when he was 7 years old. A tumor in his pituitary gland caused his exceptional height -- he stood 7-feet-8-inches tall.
In 2012, WCCO chronicled Vovkovinskiy's attempts to get new shoes for his size 24 feet. After he contacted several shoe companies and started a crowdfunding campaign, Reebok made Vovkovinskiy three custom pairs of basketball sneakers for free.
Vovkovinskiy appeared in the 2011 film "Hall Pass" in a scene with star Jason Sudeikis, and onstage at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest.