‘World’s oldest man’ born in the Victorian era dies at the dubious age of 142

Nasser bin Radan Al Rashid Al Wadaei was born back in the 19th century, but tragically passed away at the beginning of the year after becoming the world’s longest living person

The man believed to be the world’s oldest person has reportedly passed away at the age of 142. Having first been born in the 19th century, the man was able to explore the world’s development into the modern age, but some people are speculating as to whether he really was so old.

Nasser bin Radan Al Rashid Al Wadaei was laid to rest earlier this week after passing away on January 8, just making it into 2026. He is believed to have been survived by dozens of children and even more grandchildren thanks to his impressive age.

However, while thousands came out to the streets to honour Nasser before he was buried, some are not so sure as to the truth of his real age. It comes as the oldest person currently living is aged just 113, residing in Brazil.

According to Metro, Nasser bin Radan Al Rashid Al Wadaei was buried in his home village of Al Rashid in Saudi Arabia, with a total of over 7,000 people coming to mourn him. Prayers for the man were held at the Dhahran al Janoub, where an Islamic funeral was held in honour of the man.

Local media within Saudi Arabia has reported that Nasser was first born in 1884, all the way back in the 19th century. In the same year he was allegedly born, the Statue of Liberty was just being built for the World’s Fair, whilst Saudi Arabia itself was just about to be unified.

Throughout his lifetime, he is believed to have lived during the reigns of several Saudi monarchs, and was alive during some of the world’s most historic moments. These include both World Wars, the Cold War, and the crowning of several Saudi kings, including most recently King Salman.

His family, heartbroken at his death, said that he was a devout follower of Islam, and had made the holy Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca over 40 times throughout his life. He is now also the supposedly the father of around 40 children with over 90 grandchildren.

However, not everyone is convinced by the story, as Saudi Arabia currently holds an average life expectancy of around 78 years old. As a result, some questions have been raised over the truth of whether he really was 142 years old.

Speaking to Metro, Professor David Weinkove from the British Society for Research on Ageing says he highly doubts that Nasser was really 142 years old when he died. However, he admitted that due to such a huge number, it is virtually impossible to prove.

“No one can really know for certain because in a lot of parts of the world, they don’t have good records going back that far,” he explained. However, he added that it could always be true, although the odds were stacked against him.

“So when you get to around 100, your chance of making it to the next year, to 101, is roughly 50%, so it’s like tossing a coin,” he said. “It’s not impossible because there’s always a chance, but it’s like tossing a coin 40 times in a row and always landing on heads.”

Should his records officially be verified, Nasser would surpass the global record for the world’s oldest person, which currently is held by Jeanne Calment from France. Having died at the age of 122, she is the oldest person to have been verified for her age.

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