(CNN) Richard Overton, America's oldest World War II veteran and the oldest man in the United States, died Thursday afternoon at the age of 112.

The death was confirmed to CNN by Shirley Overton, a family member.

Overton would have been 113 on May 11, 2019.

The veteran had been hospitalized with pneumonia, his family said.

Overton volunteered for the Army starting in 1942 and served with the 188th Aviation Engineer Battalion, an all-black unit that served on various islands in the Pacific.

"He was there at Pearl Harbor when the battleships were still smoldering. 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,'" former President Barack Obama said while honoring Overton at a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in 2013.

Overton told CNN at the time he didn't like thinking or talking about the war, saying he "forgot all that stuff."

Overton was a longtime resident of Austin, Texas, according to CNN affiliate KXAN, living on a street -- Richard Overton Avenue -- renamed for him.

He told CNN in 2013 that he credited God for living so long but said he didn't take any medicine and enjoyed his vices.

"I drink whiskey in my coffee. Sometimes I drink it straight," he said when he was 107. "I smoke my cigars, blow the smoke out; I don't swallow it."

In a statement Thursday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called Overton "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 honored to have known him," Abbott said. "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."

In 2015, Overton was the subject of a short documentary titled "Mr. Overton" by Austin-based filmmakers Rocky Conly and Matt Cooper.

He said in the film 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. Especially butter pecan, he said.

"I still walk, I still talk, and I still drive," Overton said on camera, before hopping into his Ford F100 Custom pickup truck.

Overton also said in the film he liked to go to church and enjoyed the singing. He also loved caring for his cats.

Overton's family and friends celebrated his 112th birthday in May by visiting him at his home, KXAN reported.

"I feel fine every day," KXAN quoted him as telling photographers at the event. "No pain and no aches."

At the party, a friend had made T-shirts to sell to raise support for Overton's around-the-clock at-home care. On them, the secret to longevity Overton reportedly gave TV host and comedian Steve Harvey: "Keep living, don't die."</s>Richard Overton, who was believed to be America’s oldest living veteran, is acknowledged by U.S. President Barack Obama during a ceremony to honor veterans at the Tomb of the Unknowns on Veterans Day, at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, on November 11, 2013.

Another member of the greatest generation is gone. Richard Overton, the oldest living American veteran from World War II, passed away Thursday night in Austin, Texas, after a brief battle with pneumonia. He was 112.

Overton was born in 1906 and joined the United States Army in 1940 as a member of the 188th Engineer Aviation Battalion.

Overton was sent to Pearl Harbor a couple of weeks after it was bombed, and he recalled what he saw KVUE, the ABC affiliate in Austin, reported.

"Every window that was in those houses was shot out. So when we got there, that's the way it was. And the ships, some of them were still floating, some of them still smoking," Overton said to the station. "Some of them were still burning."

Overton was part of a segregated unit that hopped from one island to another in the Pacific—something fairly common for a U.S. infantryman during World War II. His stops included Guam, Palau, and Iwo Jima.

"You heard in Iwo Jima the water turned to blood? Well, it did," he said in the interview. "When you talking about some of the stuff we had to go through, I never want to go through that again."

Upon his return to Austin in 1945, Overton worked at local furniture store before landing a job as a courier for the Texas Department of Treasury, working from the Texas State Capitol. He worked under four Texas governors before retiring. His cousin, Volma Overton, told ABC News that Overton would often "drive a golf cart to the bank to deposit millions of dollars in checks."

He lived for 73 years in the Austin home he built in 1945. Overton began garnering fame five years ago when he was recognized as America's oldest living World War II veteran. He was invited by President Barack Obama to the White House for special recognition and then went to participate in a Veteran's Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

Overton later called it one of the proudest moments of his life, according to KVUE.

Two years later, he began a battle with pneumonia at the age of 109. Overton faced the possibility of living in a nursing home—and likely losing his home on Hamilton Avenue in Austin. Thanks to the internet and his recent fame, a GoFundMe campaign raised more than $400,000 to provide in-home care.

Earlier this year, the Austin City Council changed the name of his street from Hamilton Avenue to Richard Overton Avenue, and declared that day Richard Overton Day.

"I'm proud to get that," Overton said.

As for turning 112, Overton quipped, "That's pretty old, ain't it? I can still get around, I can still talk, I can still see, I can still walk."

Then pneumonia returned this month, and he was finally released from the hospital just three days ago, on Christmas Eve.

Overton credited his long life on Earth to keeping good friends, smoking a cigar every day and occasionally enjoying good whiskey.

Twenty-one different presidents served the United States during Overton's lifetime.</s>Richard Overton was in his mid-30s when he began serving in World War II. It was perhaps the most important thing he did with his life, but it was far from the last.

Overton, who died Thursday in Austin after battling pneumonia, according to the Associated Press, was 112. He was believed to be America’s oldest man, as well as its oldest living World War II veteran.

He’d also spent decades in the furniture business, lived in his East Austin home for more than 70 years and had become something of a celebrity as he passed 108, 109 and later 112. The older he got, the more his charm — and his fondness for cigars and whiskey, his front porch and church — wowed the folks around him.

“With his quick wit and kind spirit he touched the lives of so many, and I am deeply honored to have known him,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said in a statement Thursday. “Richard Overton made us proud to be Texans and proud to be Americans.”

He “lived his life with honor and dignity,” President Barack Obama said in 2013.

“Everything we do with Mr. Overton turns magical,” a friend, Allen Bergeron, said during a 2018 tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington.

[Meet America’s oldest living vet. He smokes cigars, does yard work, drives and drinks whiskey. And he’s 108.]

Overton, of course, had made history himself. The grandson of a Tennessee slave who moved to Texas upon emancipation, Overton was born May 11, 1906, in Bastrop County, Tex. He volunteered for the Army in his 30s and served in the Pacific Theater from 1942 to 1945 as part of the all-black 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion. He had been at Pearl Harbor after the Japanese attacked, as well as Okinawa and Iwo Jima.

Overton used to start his days with some whiskey in his coffee, and he still adds a teaspoon from time to time. “It’s just like medicine,” he said. Overton smokes cigars daily, too. “I’m smoking one now,” he said from Austin. Indeed, Overton hasn’t slowed down much and remains sharp. He still drives his old Ford pickup truck, attends church every Sunday and has been known to help to transport widows to church, according to the Austin American-Statesman. And he still does yard work. Reminder: He is 108 years old.

At 112, he was still sharp mentally, but had been hospitalized seven times in 14 months for pneumonia, cousin Volma Overton Jr. told the Austin American-Statesman.

Overton had no children. He’d married twice; he and his first wife divorced in the 1920s, and his second wife died in the 1980s. Overton Jr., who had been overseeing his care, said his cousin outlived almost everyone in his family.

The Statesman said Overton’s funeral would be held Jan. 12.

On the cusp of 112, a whirlwind tour for World War II’s oldest veteran

America’s oldest vet is turning 109. He celebrated with cigars and burgers.

At 103, this Maryland veteran is the oldest living graduate of West Point</s>AUSTIN, Texas — A family member says the nation’s oldest World War II veteran who was also believed to be oldest living man in the U.S. has died in Texas.

Richard Overton was 112. Shirley Overton, whose husband was Richard’s cousin, says the Army veteran died Thursday evening at a rehab facility in Austin.

Overton had been recently hospitalized with pneumonia.

Overton was in his 30s when he volunteered for the Army and was at Pearl Harbor just after the Japanese attack in 1941. He once said that one secret to his long life was smoking cigars and drinking whiskey, which he often was found doing on the porch of his Austin home.

In 2013, he was honored by former President Barack Obama at a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.</s>In this May 10, 2018 photo Richard Overton, the oldest living U.S. Veteran at the age of 111, is back in the east Austin home he has owned since 1948 after a renovation provided by Meals on Wheels of Central Texas and the Home Depot Foundation. A family member says Overton, the nation’s oldest World War II veteran who was also believed to be oldest living man in the U.S., has died in Texas. He was 112. Shirley Overton, whose husband was Richard’s cousin, says the Army veteran died Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018 at a rehab facility in Austin, Texas. (Ralph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman via AP, file) (Ralph Barrera)</s>AUSTIN, Texas — A family member says the nation’s oldest World War II veteran who was also believed to be oldest living man in the U.S. has died in Texas.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler declared Thursday Richard Overton Day in the city and also gave the street he has lived on for the past 45 years the honorary name of Richard Overton Avenue.

Overton was in his 30s when he volunteered for the Army and was at Pearl Harbor just after the Japanese attack in 1941. He once said that one secret to his long life was smoking cigars and drinking whiskey, which he often was found doing on the porch of his Austin home.</s>AUSTIN, Texas — Richard Overton, the nation's oldest World War II veteran who was also believed to be the oldest living man in the U.S., died Thursday in Texas, a family member said. He was 112.

The Army veteran had been hospitalized with pneumonia but was released on Christmas Eve, said Shirley Overton, whose husband was Richard's cousin and his longtime caretaker.

"They had done all they could," she said.

He died Thursday evening at a rehab facility in Austin, Texas, she said.

Richard Overton was in his 30s when he volunteered for the Army and was at Pearl Harbor just after the Japanese attack in 1941. He once said that one secret to his long life was smoking cigars and drinking whiskey, which he often was found doing on the porch of his Austin home.

His recent birthdays drew national attention and strangers would stop by his house to meet him. Even well into his 100s, he would drive widows in his neighborhood to church.

"With his quick wit and kind spirit he touched the lives of so many, and I am deeply honored to have known him," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement Thursday, calling Overton "an American icon and Texas legend."

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

Overton was born in 1906 near Austin and served in the all-black 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion.

In 2013, former President Barack Obama honored Overton at a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

"He was there at Pearl Harbor, when the battleships were still smoldering," Obama said of Overton. "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.'"</s>Richard Overton, a World War II veteran who was America's oldest man, has died at the age of 112.

Overton, who lived in Austin, Texas, died on Thursday at a rehabilitation home, his cousin, Volma Overton Jr, told the Austin-American Statesman.

He had been hospitalized earlier this month with pneumonia, the newspaper said.

Overton's longevity and his status as the oldest living American veteran of World War II made him a celebrity of sorts over the past few years.

In 2013, he visited Washington and met with president Barack Obama at the White House.

The street where he lived in Austin was renamed "Richard Overton Avenue" on his 111th birthday.

Overton was born on May 11, 1906 in Texas. He served in the US Army in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945.

After returning home, Overton worked in furniture stores and for the office of the state treasurer.

Overton spent his later years sitting on his porch smoking cigars and sipping coffee or Coca-Cola with a dash of whiskey, the Statesman said.

He was married twice but had no children.

According to the Gerontology Research Group, the oldest living man in the world is 113-year-old Masazou Nonaka of Japan.</s>Richard Overton, the nation's oldest World War II veteran who was also believed to be the oldest living man in the U.S., died Thursday in Texas, a family member said. He was 112.

The Army veteran had been hospitalized with pneumonia but was released on Christmas Eve, said Shirley Overton, whose husband was Richard's cousin and his longtime caretaker.

"They had done all they could," she said.

He died Thursday evening at a rehab facility in Austin, Texas, she said.

Overton was born in Bastrop County, Texas and was inducted into the U.S. military on September 3, 1940 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, CBS Austin affiliate KEYE reports. He served in the all-black 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion.

Overton was in his 30s when he volunteered for the Army and was at Pearl Harbor just after the Japanese attack in 1941. Overton served in the South Pacific from 1940 through 1945, including stops in Hawaii, Guam, Palau and Iwo Jima during World War II. He left the Army in Oct. 1945, KEYE reports.

Overton worked at local furniture stores before taking a position with the Texas Department of the Treasury - now part of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts - in Austin.

He once said that one secret to his long life was smoking cigars and drinking whiskey, which he often was found doing on the porch of his Austin home.

His recent birthdays drew national attention and strangers would stop by his house to meet him. Even well into his 100s, he would drive widows in his neighborhood to church.

"With his quick wit and kind spirit he touched the lives of so many, and I am deeply honored to have known him," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement Thursday, calling Overton "an American icon and Texas legend."

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

In 2013, former President Obama honored Overton at a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

"He was there at Pearl Harbor, when the battleships were still smoldering," Mr. Obama said of Overton. "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.'"</s>The nation has lost one of its oldest residents and its oldest World War II veteran. Texas native Richard Overton passed away on December 27, 2018, after battling pneumonia last week.

Overton was born near Bastrop in 1906, in 1940 Overton joined the Army as a member of the 188th Engineer Aviation Battalion, he served for 3 years. Once Overton finished his service he returned to his home in Austin Texas.

In 2013 Richard Overton became the oldest living World War II Veteran. He’s since met with former governor Rick Perry and President Barack Obama. Earlier this year the city of Austin renamed the street he had lived on for most of his life to Richard Overton Avenue.

Overton always credited God as the secret to his long life along with the help of whiskey and cigars, “I been smoking cigars from when I was 18 years old, I’m still a smoking ‘em. 12 a day.”
Richard Arvin Overton, the oldest U.S. veteran from World War II, as well as the oldest American man, dies at age 112.