Richard Overton death: America's oldest veteran and oldest man dies aged 112

He served in an all-black army unit for three years and took part in combat operations and beach landings in the Pacific during the war

Mr Overton said the secret to his longevity was smoking cigars and drinking whiskey (Getty Images)

America’s oldest Second World War veteran, and the oldest man in the US, has died in Texas at the age of 112.

Richard Overton served in an all-black army unit for three years and took part in combat operations and beach landings in the Pacific during the war.

His family said the veteran had gone into hospital with pneumonia but was released on Christmas Eve. He died on Thursday evening at a rehab facility in Austin, Texas.

Mr Overton said the secret to his longevity was smoking cigars and drinking whiskey. He was often found doing those two things on the porch of his Austin home.

“I been smoking cigars from when I was 18 years old, I’m still a smoking ‘em. Twelve a day,” he is quoted as saying by local TV.

Mr Overton volunteered for the army in 1942 and served with the 188th Aviation Engineer Battalion - an all-black unit which served on various islands in the Pacific.

He was honoured by former president Barack Obama on Veterans Day in 2013.

“He was there at Pearl Harbour, when the battleships were still smouldering,” Mr Obama said of Mr Overton in 2013. “He was there at Okinawa. He was there at Iwo Jima, where he said, ‘I only got out of there by the grace of God.’”

He was born in 1906 and spent most of his life in Austin. His recent birthdays drew national attention – with strangers going to his house to meet him.

Austin City Council renamed the street he had lived on for more than 70 years Richard Overton Avenue in honour of his 111th birthday last year.

The veteran would drive widows in his local area to church until well into his second century.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott called him ”an American icon and a Texas legend.”

“With his quick wit and kind spirit he touched the lives of so many, and I am deeply honoured to have known him,” he said in a statement.

“Richard Overton made us proud to be Texans and proud to be Americans. We can never repay Richard Overton for his service to our nation and for his lasting impact on the Lone Star State.”

He would have been 113 on 11 May 2019.

In 2015, he was the star of a short documentary called Mr Overton by Austin-based filmmakers Rocky Conly and Matt Cooper.

In the film, he said he loved to eat soup, corn and fish, and drink milk.

“And ice cream. I eat ice cream every night. It makes me happy,” he said, adding that he especially liked butter pecan.

“I still walk, I still talk, and I still drive,” he said, before getting into his Ford F100 Custom pickup truck.

Mr Overton also said he liked going to church and enjoyed the singing and also adored caring for his cats.

His family and friends celebrated his 112th birthday in May by visiting him at his home, local NBC-affiliated television station KXAN reported.

“I feel fine every day. No pain and no aches,” he told photographers at the event.