many of the oldest old die from pneumonia and other opportunistic infections, and that a few centenarians, such as Madame Calment, really do die of what used to be called old age. But the vast majority still succumb to diseases of aging—the Horsemen—just like the rest of us. The crucial distinction, the essential distinction, is that they tend to develop these diseases much later in life than the rest of us—if they develop them at all. We’re not talking about two or three or even five years later; we’re talking decades.
