A 145-year-old Indonesian man, Mbah Gotho, might just become the world’s oldest man with his documentation suggesting that he was born in 1870. According to a report in The Independent, Gotho’s age is twice the average life expectancy of Indonesians that stands at 70 years. While Gotho from Sragen in Central Java can be a contender for the world’s oldest person, the record was last held by a French woman Jeanne Calment, who died at the age of 122 in August 1997.
The Indonesian records office has reportedly confirmed Gotho’s birth date as December 31, 1870, who has been quoted saying that the secret to long life is ‘patience.’ While speaking to a regional news channel, Gotho also said, “What I want is to die.” Owing to his old age, he is unable to take care of himself and needs to be spoon-fed and bathed. One of his relatives said that Gotho has been preparing for his death since 1992. He has also bought a burial site for himself over 24 years ago.

All his 10 siblings, four wives and children are long dead. His closest relatives are his grand-children, great grand children and great-great grand children, reporters The Telegraph. Gotho spends his time listening to radio since his bad eyesight does not allow him to watch television.
Mbah Gotho already has a Wikipedia page by his name that cites various news articles on his age. The only thing that keeps him from the title of the world’s oldest person is an independent verification of his documents. The centenarian from Indonesia isn’t the first contender to claim Jeanne Calment’s record. In the past, Nigerian James Olofintuyi, 171, and Ethiopian Dhaqabo Ebba, 163, had claimed to be the world’s oldest person. However, due to absence of verifiable documents, they could not be given the title.