Big Jake, world's tallest horse, dies at age 20

The world's tallest horse, Big Jake died two weeks ago in Wisconsin, said Valicia Gilbert, wife of the Smokey Hollow Farm owner, Jerry Gilbert, on Monday, according to the Associated Press.

The 20-year-old Belgian named Big Jake lived on a farm called Smokey Hollow in Poynette. The wife of the farm owner declined to tell the exact date of death when the AP reached her through Facebook.

“We would rather not remember him by a date — it's been a traumatic event for our family,” AP quoted her as saying.

The 6-foot-10-inches or nearly 2.1 meters tall weighing 2,500 pounds or 1,136 kg horse was certified as the world's tallest living horse by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010.

Jerry Gilbert, the owner of the farm, told WMTV that the horse was a "superstar" and a “truly magnificent animal.” Big Jake was born in Nebraska and weighed 240 pounds (109 kilograms) at birth, about 100 pounds (45 kilograms) heavier at birth compared to a typical Belgian foal, Gilbert said, according to AP.

Gilbert plans to memorialize Big Jake by keeping his stall empty and inserting a brick on its outside with his picture and name.

He added that the other horses know of his death and are grieving as Jake left a huge void.

“It's very quiet (at the farm)," Jerry Gilbert said, reported AP.

“The other horses know. I think they have their own grieving time because Jake was the centre of attention around here. There is a huge void. It feels like he's still here, but he's not," he added.

Social media was abuzz with the news of his demise, as netizens posted about the news of his death in Wisconsin worldwide. Internet users from around the world posted RIP messages after learning about the death of the tallest horse.