Igor Vovkovinskiy

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.

Vovkovinskiy performing during the Eurovision Song Contest 2013

Igor Vovkovinskiy
Ігор Вовковинський
Vovkovinskiy waves to the crowd at a basketball game in Houston in 2013
Born	(1982-09-18)September 18, 1982 Bar, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine)
Died	August 20, 2021(2021-08-20) (aged 38) Rochester, Minnesota, United States
Nationality	Ukrainian-American
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]

See also

• List of tallest people (men)

Notes

1. Ukrainian: Ігор Вовковинський, romanized: Ihor Vovkovynskyi