At a mere 112 years young, Bob Weighton from the U.K. has now been formally recognized as the oldest man on the planet.
Weighton, who inherited the braggable title after previous record holder Chitetsu Watanabe died earlier this year, still managed to get some well-deserved Happy Birthday-ing in despite ongoing COVID-19 containment measures. Per the Guinness World Records team, the assisted living facility where Weighton resides arranged for a balcony birthday performance for him before presenting him with a certificate marking the record.
"I can't say I am pleased to hear that the previous holder has died but I am very pleased that I've been able to live so long and make so many friends," Weighton said of the honor.
Meanwhile, the current record for the oldest man ever is Jiroemon Kimura from Japan, who died back in 2013 at the age of 116. The current oldest living woman record is held by 117-year-old Kane Tanaka.
As for any slivers of advice Weighton has for anyone else hoping to make their way toward a similar feat of elderliness, he's keen on realistic goals and expectations for one's life. "When you're young you don't think about being old," he said, also noting that he was never one to say things like "I want to climb Everest" or "sail around the world." Instead, Weighton advised, we should all just "take life as it comes along."
