Nazar Singh, Europe’s oldest man, dies at 111

Nazar Singh, who lived through two world wars, India’s independence and partition, and witnessed the tenures of several prime ministers in India and Britain, has died aged 111 during a visit to India, his family announced on Monday.

Widely believed to be Europe’s oldest man, Singh lived in Sunderland, north England, and had 34 grand-children and 63 great-granchildren. Born in Punjab, he moved to England in 1965.

He died in the early hours of Saturday in India where he travelled to visit his family, his grandson, Harvinder Gill, 31, said in Sunderland.

Gill said: “He was an incredible chap. He has lived a very happy and fulfilling life. 'For the past few weeks he has been suffering with a few illnesses. He has had pneumonia but he was a fighter. Unfortunately, his time has passed. It was early hours on Saturday, just before Fathers Day.”

Singh, who turned 111 two weeks ago, had previously said that the secret to his long life was a strong family, good food and happiness. He told the media he enjoyed drinking milk, almond oil, eating fruit and a drop of whisky every night.

First Published: Jun 22, 2015 23:58 IST