He may have been the world’s shortest man but he led a tall life — traveling to dozens of countries and making appearances on international television.
Khagendra Thapa Magar, who stood at 2 feet and 2.41 inches tall, died Friday at 27 after recent battles with asthma and pneumonia, according to his family.
“He has been in and out of the hospital because of pneumonia,” his brother, Mahesh Thapa Magar, told Agence France-Presse. “But this time his heart was also affected.”
Magar, the son of a fruit seller in Nepal, was beloved in his country and even appointed as a Nepalese Goodwill Ambassador for Tourism.
He enjoyed playing guitar and riding motorbikes, and once met the world’s shortest woman.
“We’re terribly sad to hear the news from Nepal that Khagendra is no longer with us,” said GWR Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday in a statement. “His bright smile was so infectious that he melted the hearts of anyone who met him.”
Glenday, who met Khagendra on a visit to Italy in 2010, said it was “an honor” to know him.
“As many people of short stature experience, life can be challenging,” Glenday said. “Khagendra certainly didn’t let his small size stop him from getting the most out of life.”
The record awarding company measured Magar as the world’s shortest man with the ability to walk, standing only 2.75 inches taller than Junrey Balawing, who is immobile.
Magar, from Nepal, first received the title on his 18th birthday — snatching the record from Colombian Edward Hernandez.
Magar eventually lost the title when Chandra Bahadur Dangi, also from Nepal, was discovered and measured at 1 foot and 9.5 inches, AFP reported. But he gained it back upon Dangi’s 2015 death.
With Magar’s death, the record for shortest living mobile man is once again held by Hernandez, GWR reported.