The tallest man ever recorded was Robert Wadlow of Illinois who at his death was 8ft 11ins, that's 2.71m. He died in 1940 at the age of 22.
Robert Wadlow had a pituitary gland tumor that excretes large amounts of growth hormone resulting in what doctors describe as acromegalic gigantism. Death is usually caused by heart complications that result from trying to maintain the very large circulation.
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