World's oldest man dies?

If it weren't so sad reading news about Cuba would be downright hilarious. The BBC brings us the story of Benito Martinez who the Cuban government claimed was the world's oldest man at age 126.

The punchline of the story is:

The Cuban government, which takes great pride in the fact that the country's average life expectancy is 77 years, the same as the most developed nations, tried but failed to uncover baptism records or a birth certificate in Haiti.

For that reason Benito Martinez was never officially the world's oldest man. But he died convinced that he was.

If I had to re-write the conclusion it would read something like this:

The Cuban government, which claims for propaganda purposes, to justify its draconian existence, that the country's average life expectancy is 77 years, the same as the most developed nations, tried but failed to doctor up false baptism records or a birth certificate in Haiti.

For that reason Benito Martinez was never recognized by any credible source as the world's oldest man. But he died convinced that he was because he had been told so frequently.