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Photo via @auyary13/TikTok
Videos of a very old man are sparking rumors about his age on TikTok.
Popular theories put the man at a baffling 163 years old, nearly 40 years older than the oldest documented human in history. According to Guinness World Records, the oldest “fully authenticated age” any human has ever reached is 122 years and 164 days. A French woman named Jeanne Louise Calment currently holds the honor of “oldest person ever,” but would easily be unseated by TikTok’s 163-year-old man, if the claims are true.
Who is TikTok’s 163-year-old man?
TikTok discovered its oldest star when his daughter, user @auyary13, posted a video of him in late 2021. The first video to garner attention simply follows Auyary as she makes her way over to her father, who is seated on the floor of a simple home. He smiles and beckons her over when she approaches, and the two seem to embrace.
The man appears to be younger in this video than he is in most of Auyary’s uploads. He still has hair, and his face appears to be far more filled out. Later videos show the same man at a much more advanced age, based on his very thin limbs and lack of hair. He also appears to be struggling far more with his health in later videos.
Auyary’s father appears, based on his attire, to be a Monk based in Thailand. Some of the most popular videos on the account simply feature the old man sitting up, talking with his daughter, or laying in bed. People seem fascinated with the elderly Monk, filling the account’s comment sections up with questions and observations about him. While some seem somewhat disrespectful — cracking jokes and drawing comparisons — the majority of commenters simply seem fascinated at the sight of someone who’s clearly lived such a long life.
Is he really 163 years old?
The rumor that Auyary’s father is 163 years old quickly spread on the app, following his first few appearances in videos. It didn’t take long for his daughter to debunk the bafflingly high age, however, and clarify that her father is only 109 years old, according to Dexerto. Still an impressive age, by almost anyone’s estimation, but not quite the record-breaker many people initially suspected.
Auyary’s videos started to go viral in the early months of 2022, particularly following news that her father was headed to the hospital. The videos announcing, and detailing, his journey to the hospital each have hundreds of thousands of views, along with comments from concerned viewers asking about his health.
Auyary’s father got even more popular following his return from the hospital. Later videos show him in a medical bed that appears to be situated in the family’s home, but he seems much improved. He is able, in the videos, to feed himself and sit up, on occasion. In one, he even dances.
Viewers were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of what Auyary’s father used to look like after the creator uploaded a video showing him in his youth. Using the My Heritage app, Auyary managed to track down an old image of her father. The simple video appears to use a filter to give life to the image, allowing her father to furrow his brow, glance around, and move his head slightly.
A few of Auyary’s videos have grown to immense popularity, collecting tens of millions of views. The most viewed video on her account shows her father in a seated position with his hands on a young child’s head. The video has more than 74 million views and tens of thousands of comments from supportive viewers.
Some people shared theories that Auyary’s father is practicing Sokushinbutsu, a form of incredible self-discipline that historically saw several dozen Monks achieve self-mummification. The practice is extremely rare, and has only been identified in a few handfuls of cases, but has been recorded in several instances between 1081 and 1903, according to All That’s Interesting. Also known as becoming “a Buddha in this body,” Sokushinbutsu has primarily been recorded in Japan, rather than Thailand, where Auyary’s family appears to live.
That doesn’t make the theory impossible, but it seems more like conjecture than anything. Auyary has yet to confirm any of these theories via her TikTok, so — for now — we’ll assume that her father simply lived a remarkably long life. He seems to have passed away somewhat recently, based on a TikTok shared by Auyary on Jan. 31. The video shows as she approaches a plaque with her father’s face on it. Near the bottom, dates — recorded using the Buddhist calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar used in much of the world — indicate that he passed away in 2563.
Based on some quick math, that seems to indicate that he passed away in 2016. The videos populating Auyary’s page seem to be paying homage to her father’s wonderful life, and bring joy to many who’ve also lost beloved family members.