I was doing a little *amateur sleuthing trying to confirm a date of death for a very tall person (reputedly 7’3"), and found a name in SSDI which matched in some details, except that this person died at age 79, and I’ve never heard of a seven-footer living that long. Then I got to thinking. . .
How old was the oldest 7-footer?
Some names to start with:
Andre the Giant (legitimately about 7’ even) 46
Don Koehler (8’2") 56
Sandy Allen (7’7") 53
Al Tomaini (7’4") 50
Johann Petursson (7’8’?) 70
Tex Madsen (claimed 7’6") 51
Lock Martin (claimed 7’7") 43
Richard Kiel (7’1") 70 (Go Jaws!)
Max Palmer (7’+) 57
So far, 70 is where it tops out, and it clusters in the mid 50s.
*It’s not relevant to the question, but if ya really wanna know, I’ll go into it.
Sancho VII the Strong of Navarre has been measured at 7’3" and died at 76 or 77 (I don’t know whether he’d already celebrated his birthday on the year of his death or not).
Well, Wendall, who’s to say not? Today on NPR mention was made of Meinhardt Raabe, because of the Wizard of Oz 70th anniversary. He played the Munchkin Coroner, who proclaimed the Wicked Witch “Really, most sincerely dead!”, and is 94.
It seems it’s generally better the be shorter than taller. It especially depends on the reasons for one’s height. Andre the Giant had acromegaly, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is just tall. Certain types of dwarfism are associated with several health problems, while others have a relatively normal outlook.
Hypertrophy = Increase in volume of organ or tissue
Pituitary Gland = Secretes hormones to regulate homeostasis
Homeostasis = Maintains a stable, constant condition
If you visit Alton, you can see a life size bronze statue of him. He has some big ol feet…