Vito spent his 97th birthday the way he always lived surrounded by friends, moving to the music, and refusing to slow down. The Los Angeles-area man, known simply as Vito, danced, clapped, and smiled in a black button-down shirt while the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” filled the room at his Halloween-themed birthday party. Shortly after guests sang “Happy Birthday,” he died peacefully that same night.
His neighbor, 24-year-old baker Eden Malinoff, helped organize the celebration and captured the moment on video. Malinoff, who runs the Los Angeles cake-and-cookie business Baked (TikTok: @bakedsocal), described Vito as the life of the party in a group mostly made up of people in their 20s and 30s.
“This past week was Vito’s 97th birthday and in true Vito fashion, he wanted to celebrate by throwing a Halloween birthday rager,”
She said in her TikTok post. When she asked him the secret to living so long, he told her it was “to never drink cheap liquor.” She baked him a red wine chocolate cake inspired by that answer.
In the video, Vito dances and smiles to the 1977 disco hit. Malinoff later stated that his death had been an unexpected one.
“It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t intentional. We didn’t kill him. He wasn’t drunk. It just happened.”
In a follow-up interview, she described his departure as a dramatic one, as it matched his character:
“This is the way that, if there is anything, anyone can choose to leave the Earth in. He was surrounded by people that he loved, and we were all celebrating the wonderful life that he had lived.”
Caleb Turner, who identified himself as Vito’s best friend, confirmed the details on social media.
“He did pass away that night surrounded by his best friends just after we sang him happy birthday. He got a good dance in right before. It was an amazing birthday party. He had some medical issues that we didn’t know the severity of, and he passed away peacefully with his favorite music going. Rest in Peace you legend.”
In his last evening, Vito’s passion shone through in his approach to each party. His ability to connect with everyone regardless of age and the importance he placed on each event was seen during the dancing that took place in his honor.
