American man dies at 97th birthday after dancing to Stayin' Alive

An American man named Vito has died at his own 97th birthday party in Los Angeles, California. Right after an energetic dance to the Bee Gees disco hit Stayin' Alive, he sat down, closed his eyes and stopped breathing, the New York Post reports.

The party was thrown by friends and neighbors. According to the paper, 24-year-old pastry chef Eden Malinoff baked the birthday boy a chocolate cake. In the video, Vito, in a dark shirt and trousers, sways his hips, claps his hands and smiles as the disco classic with Barry Gibb's falsetto plays from the speakers.

The dance, the song and the final minutes

Vito looked to be in excellent shape until the celebration took a tragic turn. After the dance, he still managed to hear the guests sing “Happy Birthday.” Then he sat down, closed his eyes and stopped breathing.

“This man enjoyed life to the fullest right up to the last moment, quite literally,” Eden said. She spoke of his energy: although Vito was several decades her senior, he remained a favorite member of their circle of friends.

“Never drink cheap booze!”

According to Eden, the night ended nothing like anyone expected. When she asked Vito for the secret to a long life, he replied: “Never drink cheap booze!” There was another line she will remember for the rest of her life: “Never let age stop you.”

Eden confirmed that Vito had health problems whose seriousness those around him did not know about. “He died peacefully, to his favorite music. Rest in peace, legend!” she wrote on TikTok. Her post had gained 9.5 million views before she deleted it, but plenty of copies of the clip remain online.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz