[PHOTOS] World’s ‘Tallest’ Man Dies @ 26

Thailand’s tallest man, measured at 18 centimetres taller than the official world record holder, has died in north-eastern Thailand, local media report.

Pornchai Sawsri, 26, was 269 centimetres (8’10″) tall, the Bangkok Post reported.

He had been suffering for several years from illnesses related to his growth disorder, according to the Thai-language newspaper Post Today.

Pornchai, who had been bedridden for years, has been in the local media since seeking treatment in Thailand in 2013, but was not certified as a Guinness World Record holder.

The officially tallest living man is the 251-centimetre-tall Sultan Kosen, 33, from the Turkish capital of Ankara.

The tallest man in recorded medical history is Robert Wadlow from Illinois, US, who was measured in 1940 at 272 centimetres.