A man believed to be the tallest on the planet at 8ft 4 inches has died aged 44.




Leonid Stadnyk, who was said to be too shy to measured for the Guinness World
record books, was 21 inches taller than lanky England footballer Peter Crouch.

The peasant farmer, from the Ukrainian village of Podoliantsy, died yesterday
from a brain haemorrhage after health problems.

His astonishing rise to fame began at 12, when a benign brain tumour
over-stimulated his body's production of a growth hormone.
At one point, his condition, called giganticism, left him growing at the
rate of roughly a foot every three years.
He wore size 27 shoes (in UK sizes) for feet that measured almost 18 inches
in length while his palms were more than a foot in diameter.

But unable to independently verify his measurements, Guinness instead
officially listed Xi Shin at fractionally under 7ft 9 inches as the world's tallest man.
"We have contacted Stadnyk, but he seems like a very shy guy,"
said a Guinness World Records spokeswoman.
"He doesn't want us around. So we have to stick to what we have."
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/worlds-tallest-man-8ft-4-4105252