George Bell, the Guinness World Record holder of the tallest American male, is dead at 67. Bell stood at a towering height of 7 feet 8 inches and set the record in 2007. He passed away, confirmed the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, where he was a deputy from 2000 to 2014.
The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office posted a heartfelt message on March 19 in response to the death of Bell. “We are saddened to hear of the death of retired deputy George Bell,” the message stated. “He will be remembered for being kind and loving. He will always be regarded as part of the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office family.”
Bell, a Portsmouth, Virginia, native, passed away at his Durham, North Carolina, home surrounded by loved ones, according to local news affiliate WVEC-TV. Although the cause of death has not been disclosed, his death has made a lasting impact on everyone who knew him.
George Bell: From Basketball to Law Enforcement
Nicknamed “gentle giant” by acquaintances and peers, Bell stood out for his imposing stature, both physically and in the breadth of his compassionate nature. Always tall as a child, he only started developing his remarkable height in his 20s from a rare condition called gigantism, caused by an overabundance of growth hormone.
Before becoming a law enforcement officer, Bell had a basketball career. He was a backup center for Biola University in California in the early 1980s and then played for the Harlem Wizards, a show team similar to the Harlem Globetrotters. Bell’s larger-than-life personality even found him working on entertainment projects, such as Season 4 of American Horror Story and the reality show Freakshow, where he played himself.
Bell’s remarkable stature and gentle nature made him a popular figure within the law enforcement community as well as outside of it.
