A 97-year-old California man passed away during his own birthday party, just moments after he was dancing to the Bee Gees’ massive hit, “Stayin’ Alive,” which is the way folks who knew him said the fun-loving senior would have wanted to shirk off his mortal coil. Los Angeles baker Eden Malinoff, 24, shared the strange, ironic story of her neighbor Vito after throwing him a Halloween-themed birthday bash a week ago.
Malinoff posted footage on TikTok on November 2, 2026, that featured Vito clapping, swaying, and smiling, decked out in a black button-down shirt and dress slacks while the classic 70s disco hit played in the background. According to those who attended the event, Vito was seemingly having the time of his life before the celebration took a turn and he died at the party, not long after guests sang “Happy Birthday” to him.
“This past week was Vito’s 97th birthday and in true Vito fashion, he wanted to celebrate by throwing a Halloween birthday rager,” Malinoff, who operates the cake and cookie business Baked, went on to say. “So of course I made him a cake. When I asked him the secret to living such a long life, he told me it was to never drink cheap liquor.” In honor of his comment, Malinoff made him a red wine chocolate cake.
She then heaped praise on Vito for his youthful energy, stating that he was a beloved member of her own personal friend group, despite being decades older than the majority of its members. “If I learned one thing from Vito, it’s to never let your age stop you,” Malinoff stated, according to The New York Post. “This man lived his life to the fullest, all the way up until his last moments, quite literally.”
“At 24 years old, I could not keep up with this man, he was the life of the party,” she said of Vito. “Unfortunately the night did not end as anticipated and Vito made a dramatic exit. But if there’s any way he could have chosen to go out it would have been like this. He was surrounded by people he loved, we were celebrating his long and full life, and I’m just so grateful I got to be a part of it.”
Vito’s best friend also confirmed his passing on social media, stating that the 97-year-old was suffering from health issues that were far more serious than most of the people around him realized. “He had some medical issues that we didn’t know the severity of, and he passed away peacefully with his favorite music going,” the friend said in the post.
The tribute video that Malinoff made for Vito and posted on TikTok has pulled in 9.5 million views on the social media platform. “RIP to an absolute legend,” she wrote in the caption for the video. Along with making the video go viral through an insane number of views, those who watched the video also left comments of support for the friends and family suffering through the loss of a bright, shining light in their lives.
"*" indicates required fields
One person wrote on X, “Dying at 97, doing something you love with all of your friends and family around. Not a bad way to go at all. One can only hope.” Another person wrote, “Honestly, it doesn’t sound like a bad way to check out.” One user commented, “I don’t say this often, but that sounds like a wonderful way to go. If I’m 97 and that’s how I go, even dancing to the Bee Gees. I’ll take it.”
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video