At seven feet, seven inches tall, Neil Fingleton, a retired basketball player in the US died of heart attach at the age of 36. The Guinness record holder as the tallest man in Britain then moved to acting, and had been in several films and shows, including "Dr. Who," "X-Men: First Class." "Avengers: Age Of Ultron," but most notably as Mag the Mighty, a giant in HBO's award-winning series, "Game of Thrones."
Regarding his decision to become an actor, BBC News quoted Fingleton saying, "There are tens of millions of people in this country, and I'm the tallest, which is a very special thing." He also shared that he wanted to use his height to his advantage and be recognized as a talented actor.
Fox News noted that Neil was previously quoted to have said that his height took off when he was 11, when he reached 7 feet. By the time he was 16, he was 7 feet, 5 inches, but he eventually stopped growing at 18, with the height of 7 feet, 7 inches.
Fingleton shared that he had never been self-conscious about how tall he is, adding that he's more concerned about the possibility of going bald. His height has never made a negative part in his life, although he noted that there had been restrictions regarding the roles given to him because of it - mostly due to being stared at, and the "stupid remarks and questions."
There had been several tributes from other celebrities on social media. Tom Blenkinsop, Middlesbrough MP tweeted, "Really sad news about Neil Fingleton. Played, amongst many things, Mag the Mighty in #GoT. Also a Huge Boro fan!! Only 36!! So, so sad."
The Tall Persons Club Facebook group also posted a statement regarding the actor's death, with condolences for Fingleton's family.
And now his watch has ended.