A baker made a cake for her neighbor’s 97th birthday, then he danced to ‘Stayin’ Alive’ and died during the party

A Los Angeles baker’s video about a cake she made for her 97-year-old neighbor has drawn over ten million views after she revealed he died at his own birthday party. Eden Malinoff, who runs the cake and cookie business Baked and posts as @bakedsocal, shared the story of her friend Vito in a TikTok captioned “Rip to an absolute legend.”

In the video, Malinoff explains that Vito wanted to celebrate his 97th birthday by throwing a Halloween “birthday rager,” so she made him a red wine chocolate cake. She says Vito was a beloved member of her friend group, which includes people in their 20s and 30s. The 24-year-old baker added that she could not keep up with him, calling him the life of the party.

Days before the party, Vito reportedly shared his secret to a long life with her: never drink cheap liquor. The clip then cuts to the celebration itself, where Vito can be seen dancing with his friends, at one point to the Bee Gees’ 1977 hit “Stayin’ Alive.” Malinoff then reveals that the night did not end the way anyone expected.

Vito’s friends say he got one last dance in before he passed away that night

Malinoff says Vito “made a dramatic exit” at the party. One of his friends confirmed in the comments of her post that Vito died that night, surrounded by his best friends, just after the group sang him happy birthday. The friend added that he had gotten a good dance in right before, and that it had been an amazing birthday party.

The same friend wrote that Vito had medical issues the group did not know the severity of, and that he passed away peacefully with his favorite music playing. Malinoff said Vito was surrounded by people he loved as they celebrated “his long and full life,” and that his friends believe he was ready. She added that she was grateful to have been part of it.

When a viewer asked whether Vito really died after “Stayin’ Alive” played, Malinoff answered with a short follow-up video confirming the timing, writing that she “literally cannot make this up.” The second clip has since pulled in hundreds of thousands of likes of its own, while the original video has drawn over a million likes.

The most popular reactions mixed grief with dark humor. “You can’t introduce us to Vito and take him away in the same story,” one viewer wrote. Another commenter called dying at a 97th Halloween birthday rager “pretty iconic,” while someone else asked who brought the cheap liquor, a nod to Vito’s rule for a long life.

Others wanted to know whether Vito at least got a slice of the red wine chocolate cake before he left. However, not everyone found the video’s tone easy to watch. One commenter asked Malinoff why she sounded so nonchalant about Vito dying, and another simply called it an odd video.

Unlike a TikToker who recorded one last message for her followers before she died, the 97-year-old never planned a farewell. His friends say they did not know how serious his medical issues were, so the party turned into a goodbye nobody saw coming when the music started.

Vito’s last name has not been publicly shared, and his friends have not said whether a memorial is planned. However, Malinoff has kept answering questions from viewers in the comments of both videos, replying to one shocked commenter that it was simply unfortunate timing and calling Vito an icon in another response.

With both clips still spreading, more of Vito’s friends could share their own memories of the 97-year-old in the days ahead.