from www.nydailynews.com – Twenty-nine-inch tall He Pingping, the shortest man on record, died last week in Rome where he had gone to film a segment for a local show, a Guinness World Records spokesman announced Monday. He was 21.

The cause was heart-related, Guinness said.

Pingping, who measured 2 feet, 5 inches, was born in Wulanchabu, China, with a form of primordial dwarfism. He was officially recognized as the world’s shortest adult in March 2008.

“He brightened up the lives of everyone he met, and was an inspiration to anyone considered different or unusual,” said Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday.

“He was someone special. He had such a cheeky smile and mischievous personality, you couldn’t help but be charmed by him.”