Kudus told the BBC that the sores on Ache’s legs were not directly caused by Marfan syndrome, but are likely a complication caused by his condition.

He died Monday morning in hospital even though doctors said he had responded well to treatment.

“Everyone is sad,” Kudus said, adding that Gambaga residents were shocked by his sudden death.

The Awuche had made their people famous.

”Anywhere in the country where he was and they asked him, he would say that he is from Gambaga and people knew that he was the tallest man from there. He gave identity to the community and he was popular too,” Kudus said.

Awuche had not always been extraordinarily tall: it was at the age of 22 that he began to grow faster than his peers.

As he told the BBC, he had been working in a butcher shop in Accra, the capital of Ghana, when he began to notice changes.

“I realized that my tongue had expanded in my mouth to the point that I couldn’t breathe. [properly]”, said.

Days later he realized that all the other parts of his body had begun to increase in size. Awuche was eventually diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, which affects the body’s connective tissues.