The world's oldest man, 112-year-old Antonio Todde, recently died on the Italian island of Sardinia.
Todde, a shepherd on the rocky hills around the town of Nuoro until he became housebound in the last four years of his life, had been due to celebrate his 113th birthday on January 22.
Born in a tiny mountain village the same year as the Eiffel Tower was erected in 1889, Todde was recognized as the world's oldest man by the Guinness Book of Records last year.
"Before he was always out and about," his granddaughter Vanni told Reuters on Friday. "He had a calm, hard-working life, he was always very close to his family."
Vanni said her grandfather started to feel unwell just two days ago and stopped eating. "His blood pressure fell and he left us without a murmur."
Todde, who lived on a simple diet of pasta, vegetable soup and the occasional steak, had said that the secret to his longevity was the odd tipple.
"Just love your brother and drink a good glass of red wine every day," he was quoted as saying when he celebrated his birthday last year.
"You take one day after the other, you just go on."
Reuters, Rome January 4, 2002
I find it interesting that 120 years is commonly cited as the longest one can live. Yet I question that number as one would expect to see a larger number of people reaching that number. After all we have over 6 billion people on the planet and there will be 10 billion in the next few years.
I am not sure how many were on the planet in the late 1800s, but it was likely close to a billion.
It seems like the maximum lifespan might be much closer to 110 rather than 120. So if you can make it to 100 with a good brain you have done quite a good job.
Following the eating plan and having a solution for your stresses are two of the most potent influences to help you reach 100.
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