According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Dr. Alexander Imich of New York City has been declared the oldest living man in the world at the age of 111.

Imich was born in present-day Częstochowa, Poland, on February 4, 1903. He and his wife Wela Imich immigrated to the United States in 1953, where she later died in 1986. Since Wela’s death, Alexander has been living alone in his Manhattan home.

Imich revealed to Guinness that he credits his longevity to good genes and living a healthy lifestyle; eating very leanly throughout his entire life, and living by the motto, “”always pursue what one loves and is passionate about.”

Robert Young, Senior Gerontology Consultant for Guinness World Records, was the one to verify Imich’s award by utilizing his birth certificate and immigration papers. “He is both the oldest living war veteran and the first ‘oldest living man’ to hold a doctorate,” Young said.

Stuart Claxton, an official Guinness Book of World Records official, visited Imich at his Manhattan Upper West Side home to present him with the official plaque.

Imich’s record was verified when Arturo Licata of Italy passed away on April 24, 2014 at the age of 111 years and 357 days. The oldest living person, and oldest woman, is Misao Okawa of Osaka, Japan. She was born on March 5, 1898, and is currently 116-years-old.

The oldest living documented person by the Guinness Book of World Records was Jeanne Louise Calment of France, who was born on Feb. 21, 1875. She died in a nursing home in Arles, France, on August 4, 1997, at the age of 122 years and 164 days.

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