Fredie Blom
Fredie Blom (8 May 1904 – 22 August 2020) was a South African supercentenarian and a longevity claimant. Blom had not been officially recognized by the Guinness World Records or the Gerontology Research Group. However he was named by the South African media as the oldest man in the world.[1]
He spent most of his life working as a labourer in the construction sector and on a farm during the apartheid period. He initially worked as a farm worker in Cape Town before joining the construction sector.[2] He was illiterate.[3]
During an interview with the BBC in 2018, he revealed that there was no secret behind his longevity. He revealed that he loved smoking.[4] He was issued a South African government identity document showing his date of birth as May 8, 1904, but the Guinness World Records never officially verified his age.
Blom died on 22 August 2020 at the alleged age of 116 and 106 days.[5][6]
References
- ↑ "Fredie Blom: Meet the South African who is the "world's oldest man"". Face2Face Africa. 2020-05-11. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
- ↑ Post, The Jakarta. "One of world's oldest men marks 116th birthday in South Africa". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
- ↑ "'World's Oldest Man' Is 114 Years Old, Smokes Every Day". Newsweek. 2018-05-29. https://www.newsweek.com/worlds-oldest-man-guinness-world-record-smoking-tobacco-fredie-blom-947687. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
- ↑ "'World's oldest man' wants to stop smoking" (in en-GB). BBC News. 2018-05-29. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-44224484. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
- ↑ France-Presse, Agence (2020-08-22). "Unofficial world's oldest man dies aged 116 in South Africa". the Guardian. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
- ↑ Kassen, Jarita. "SA's Fredie Blom, one of world's oldest men, passes away". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 2020-08-23.