97-year-old dies at his own birthday party after dancing to Stayin' Alive

A 97-year-old man died at his own birthday party shortly after dancing to the 1970s disco classic "Stayin' Alive."

The man, known online as Vito, was celebrating with friends in California when his night took a turn for the worse. His neighbor and friend Eden Malinoff, 24, was a guest and shared what happened in a now-viral TikTok.

Malinoff, who had been asked to make a birthday cake for him, posted clips of Vito wearing a black shirt, trousers and glasses, dancing and clapping to the music.

She said Vito had requested a Halloween-themed party, which in hindsight seemed fitting. "This past week was Vito's 97th birthday and in true Vito fashion, he wanted to celebrate by throwing a Halloween birthday rager," she said. "When I asked him the secret to living such a long life, he told me it was to never drink cheap liquor." She made him a red wine chocolate cake in his honour.

Malinoff said Vito "lived his life to the fullest, all the way up until his last moments, quite literally," adding that at 24 she "could not keep up with this man."

She said his life ended that night shortly after guests serenaded him with "Happy Birthday." "Unfortunately, the night did not end as anticipated, and Vito made a dramatic exit," she said, adding that "if there's any way he could have chosen to go out, it would have been like this."

She said Vito was "surrounded by people he loved" who were "celebrating his long and full life." The clip, captioned "Rip to an absolute legend," has been viewed 10 million times.

She added that he had medical issues whose severity was unknown, and "passed away peacefully with his favourite music going."

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓