Kerala's tallest man dies

Thiruvananthapuram: P M Kamarudeen, who was considered as the tallest man in Kerala with a height of 7.1 feet, has died.

A native of Pavaratty in Thrissur, Kamarudeen, 61, was suffering from illness for some time. He breathed his last by Wednesday night and the funeral was performed on Thursday.

DH had earlier featured Kamarudeen's story.

Like many other extremely tall persons, Kamarudeen was also facing more cons than pros owing to his height. He couldn't travel in vehicles conveniently and found it difficult to get readymade dress and footwear of his size.

Kamarudeen appeared in 24 films. He got chances in films after film personalities like actor Kamal Hassan noticed him owing to his tall stature while he was in Chennai (then Madras) looking for jobs during the 1980s. He also got the chance to interact with towering personalities like Amitabh Bachchan.

Over the last many years Kamarudeen had been eking out a living by selling lottery tickets on the streets of Pavaratty, close to the famed Guruvayur SriKrishna temple.

He leaves behind a wife and two daughters.