# Oldest tall (7' or more confirmed) person? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 18, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634 "2009-09-18T19:32:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634/1 "2009-09-18T19:32:09Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634/2 "2009-09-18T19:41:35Z")
I saw Richard Kiel two weekends ago, and he does not look well. Peter (Chewbacca) Mayhew is 65 and is over 7’ tall. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634/3 "2009-09-18T19:53:40Z")
Wilt Chamberlain – 7’1" (or more) lived to be 63. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634/4 "2009-09-18T20:03:06Z")
[Sancho VII](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sancho_VII_of_Navarre) 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). ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634/5 "2009-09-18T21:28:15Z")
He was two inches shy of 7 feet, but basketball great George Mikan lived to be almost 81. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634/6 "2009-09-18T22:20:39Z")
So since I’m 4’11", I’m going to live forever, right? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634/7 "2009-09-18T22:33:48Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > So since I’m 4’11", I’m going to live forever, right? No, it’ll just feel like it. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634/8 "2009-09-18T23:50:56Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > So since I’m 4’11", I’m going to live forever, right? Perhaps not. I’ve heard the theory that your life expectancy is shorter if your height significantly differs from the mean in either direction. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634/9 "2009-09-19T06:09:13Z")
Kareem Abdul Jabbar is now 62 and in good health. He is 7’2". ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634/10 "2009-09-19T15:48:18Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Perhaps not. I’ve heard the theory that your life expectancy is shorter if your height significantly differs from the mean in either direction. You hear about a lot of “little old ladies” out there, though. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634/11 "2009-09-19T16:36:36Z")
> [@Tamex](#): > > You hear about a lot of “little old ladies” out there, though. Feisty ones, too. No one over 5’7" is feisty. It’s a physical impossibility. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634/12 "2009-09-19T17:07:28Z")
> [@Tamex](#): > > You hear about a lot of “little old ladies” out there, though. Shrinkage. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634/13 "2009-09-20T00:35:52Z")
Well, Wendall, who’s to say not? Today on NPR mention was made of [Meinhardt Raabe](http://image1.webscache.com/baike/haibao/small/2007-04/0704638-121-2007-04-14%2016-13-46.jpg), 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. [Lookin’ good](http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050504/050504_munchkin_hmed_930a.hmedium.jpg), and he sounded hale in the [NPR interview](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112991629&ft=1&f=1008). ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634/14 "2009-09-20T00:59:46Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I saw Richard Kiel two weekends ago, and he does not look well. Is is OK to say that I picked Kiel in the Death Pool? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634/15 "2009-09-20T07:40:41Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Perhaps not. I’ve heard the theory that your life expectancy is shorter if your height significantly differs from the mean in either direction. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Hennessy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hennessy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hennessy)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-tall-7-or-more-confirmed-person/510634/16 "2009-09-20T14:55:14Z")
[Robert Pershing Wadlow](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wadlow) - 8 Feet 11 Inches - Died at 22 > [@](#): > > His great size and his continued growth in adulthood was due to hypertrophy of his pituitary gland which results in an abnormally high level of human growth hormone. He showed no indication of an end to his growth even at the time of his death. 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…