A final dance and a sudden death
Vito, a 97-year-old resident of California, died at his own birthday celebration moments after dancing to the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive," according to an account from his neighbor. Footage showed him in a black button-down shirt and dress pants, clapping, swaying and smiling as the 1970s disco track played. Guests had sung "Happy Birthday" to him shortly before the celebration turned tragic.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7][S8]
Eden Malinoff, a 24-year-old baker based in Los Angeles, described the evening in a TikTok post published on Monday. She said the party carried a Halloween theme because Vito wanted it that way. The senior, she wrote, had asked for a celebration in keeping with his style, and she baked him a red wine chocolate cake for the occasion.[S1]
The neighbor who baked the cake
Malinoff, who runs a cake and cookie business called Baked, recalled asking Vito what explained his long life. His answer, as she relayed it, was to avoid inexpensive liquor. She described him as a cherished member of her circle of friends even though he was decades older than most of them, and she said his energy outpaced her own at 24.[S1]
In her account, Malinoff said the lesson she took from Vito was that age should never be allowed to set limits. She described him as someone who enjoyed life fully right through his final moments and as the center of the gathering. She added that the night ended differently than anyone expected but that his last minutes were spent with the music and company he treasured.[S1]
A friend confirms the death
Vito's closest friend also confirmed the death on social media, writing that the 97-year-old had health problems whose severity those close to him had not understood. According to that post, he died peacefully while his favorite music was playing. Malinoff's tribute video has since accumulated 9.5 million views on TikTok, and she captioned it with a farewell to what she called an absolute legend.[S1]
