116-year-old Fredy Blom from South Africa, who was considered one of the oldest men in history, died of natural causes in the hospital, writes The Guardian.
Blom was born on May 8, 1904. His family also died from the Spanish flu pandemic when he was a teenager. Blom has been involved in farming and construction throughout his life. In a 46-year-old marriage, the man had three children, and later five grandchildren.
At the age of 114, the long-liver decided to quit smoking. Bloom walked on his own and complained only of poor hearing and low walking speed. According to relatives of the man, two weeks before his death, he managed to chop wood. Blom's condition deteriorated sharply for three days, after which he died.
The man noted that he does not possess the secret of longevity: the will of higher powers helped him to live to his venerable years. Blom was considered the oldest resident of South Africa. Moreover, a man can set a world record as a long-liver.
Blom's predecessor, the Japanese Jiroemon Kimura, lived 116 years and 54 days. A man from South Africa lived 116 years and 106 days - if these data are confirmed, then he will be recognized as the oldest in history. The oldest living man is the 111-year-old resident of the Romanian Bucharest Dumitru Comanescu.
Earlier, the oldest inhabitant of the planet celebrated 134 years. At the same time, in the Guinness Book of Records, the oldest woman in the world is the Frenchwoman Jeanne Louise Kalman, who died in 1997 at the age of 122.
