World's oldest living man dies in New York City at age 111

USPA News - Alexander Imich, born at a time when Emperor Nicholas II ruled the Russian Empire and more than a decade before the outbreak of World War I, died at his residence in New York City on early Sunday, his friends said on Monday. He was 111 years old.

Imich died inside his residence at Esplanade Manhattan Senior Housing on Sunday morning, according to friends who had been taking care of him. His passing came exactly a month after Guinness World Records officially recognized him as the world`s oldest living man, just two weeks after the previous record-holder had died. Imich was born on February 4, 1903, in the city of Cz?stochowa, which is now in Poland but was then part of the Russian Empire. He became a chemist and a parapsychologist before he and his wife, Wela, fled their home during World War II and eventually immigrated from the Soviet Union to the United States in 1951. Imich had lived alone in Manhattan since Wela died in 1986. "What an incredible life Dr Imich led:­ fighting the Bolsheviks as a teenager, earning a PhD in the 1920s, surviving a Soviet labor camp, losing much of his family to the Nazis and pursuing a successful career as a chemist and parapsychologist," said Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday. Asked last month what he thought was his secret to his longevity, he shrugged and said he didn`t know. "I simply didn`t die earlier. I have no idea how this happened," Imich told NBC New York. That said, the supercentenarian credited good genes and an overall moderate, healthy lifestyle as having contributed to his health. His motto: "Always pursue what one loves and is passionate about." Glenday said Monday that Imich is "an inspiration" to anyone wishing to make the most out of their limited time on Earth. "To live such an extraordinarily long and rich life is a testament to good genes, a healthy lifestyle and a positive mental attitude," the Guinness editor said. The new record-holder as the world`s oldest living man is believed to be 111-year-old Japanese citizen Sakari Momoi, who was born only a day after Imich, according to the Gerontology Research Group (GRG). Guinness World Records is expected to formally confirm Sakari Momoi as the world`s oldest living man in the coming weeks. Jiroemon Kimura, who died in Japan in June 2013 at the age of 116 years and 54 days, was the world`s oldest verified male in recorded history, according to Guinness World Records. Separate from the male title, 116-year-old Misao Okawa of Japan is currently recognized as the world`s oldest living woman, and therefore also the world`s oldest living person. The oldest undisputed person to have ever lived in the world was Jeanne Calment who died in France in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days. Other people have claimed to be older than Calment, but those claims have never been verified with official documentation and other supporting evidence.