Robert De Niro has been hitting the headlines for being a confirmed father of a seventh child at the prime age of 79. While this may sound old, De Niro is not the world's oldest confirmed father; a then 92-year-old man is.
92-Year-Old Fathers Welcome New Baby
According to MailOnline, there had been disputes over a man who had claimed to be a confirmed father at 101 years and ten months. However, the Guinness World Record indicates that the world's oldest confirmed father was 92 years old.
This man was reportedly Les Colley, who lived from 1898 to 1998 in Australia. He welcomed his ninth child alongside his third wife when he was 92 years and 10 months old. Colley reportedly met his third wife at 90 years old through a dating agency.
Colley had an active and healthy life. He passed away in 1998 due to pneumonia. His death came four months away from his supposed centennial birthday.
While a 92-year-old confirmed father may sound like one in a million, another old father shortly fell behind Colley's record, the Daily Express reports that this was Mahmoud al-Adam, who welcomed his 13th child when he was also 92 years old.
Al-dam and his then 42-year-old wife, Abeer, reportedly had their baby Tamara in 2018. Abeer, who is deaf, reportedly married al-Adam following his first wife's passing.
World's Oldest Confirmed Fathers
Other historic fathers are part of the oldest confirmed fathers in history. Heartthrob and veteran crooner Julio Iglesias' father, Julio Iglesias Puga, was one of them.
Julio Iglesias Puga died of a fatal cardiac arrest back in 2005. However, just less than a week before he died, he was supposed to father a second child at 90 years old. He was a gynecologist, and his then 42-year-old wife was bearing their baby when he died.
According to MailOnline, he was known to be quite a womanizer and even had the nickname "Papuchi," which translates to little daddy.
He does not just the father of Julio Iglesias; he is also the grandfather of Julio Iglesias Jr., Enrique Iglesias, and Chabelie Iglesias.
Aside from these, then-89-year-old Bernie Ecclestone, an English business magnate who is the ex-chief of Formula One, welcomed his fourth child in 2020. His spouse, Fabiana Flosi, was 44 years old when she birthed Ace, Ecclestone's fourth child. The tycoon had children from previous marriages in 1988, 1984, and 1955.
MailOnline notes that men do not become infertile as they age, unlike women. However, as their age goes, they may face challenges with conception, such as in terms of sperm quantity and quality. Certain risks may accompany such conditions, such as babies being born immature or having low weight at birth.
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