Morrie Markoff

Morrie Markoff (January 11, 1914 – June 3, 2024) was an American blogger, writer, artist, and supercentenarian. He was the oldest verified living man in the United States and the oldest known active blogger in the world.

Biography Markoff was born on January 11, 1914, one of four siblings, in a Jewish family in a tenement in New York City, and grew up in East Harlem. The family was struck by Spanish flu pandemic in 1918; his older brother died of the disease but he survived. He went on to train as a machinist under the guidance of his father, though he would work various jobs during the Great Depression before settling on repairing and selling vacuum cleaners.

Markoff met his future wife Betty Goldmintz (1916–2019) in early 1938 during a mutual friend's wedding party in part in the Bronx, The Markoffs travelled to Moscow and Leningrad in the early 1950s, as Morrie had been curious to visit the Soviet Union, but grew disillusioned with Soviet socialism after a month. These artworks were inspired by people and places he experienced throughout his life.

Markoff died in Los Angeles, California, on June 3, 2024, at the age of 110 years, 144 days. He had suffered two strokes, according to his daughter. His brain will be donated to the Brain Donor Project for medical research.

Writings Markoff published a memoir entitled Keep Breathing: Recollections from a 103-year-old in 2017, the title of which was based on a comment he once made regarding his health. Markoff remained an active writer whose blog mainly consists of personal thoughts, life experiences, and politics. At the age of 99, Markoff suffered a heart attack and flatlined while being fitted with a pacemaker, being declared legally dead; he was revived.

Markoff became the oldest known active blogger on March 24, 2022, upon the death of 109-year-old Dagny Carlsson of Sweden, and became the oldest verified living man in the United States following the death of 110-year-old Horace Baumer on December 30, 2023. Twelve days later, he turned 110.

In his supercentenarian years, he retained notable lucidity, able to engage in conversations about his life and politics, but suffered from hearing loss and limited mobility.

Works Keep Breathing: Recollections of a 103-year-old (2017)