LAGUNA WOODS — Village Management Services said this week that Laguna Woods Village resident Irving Piken died on Feb. 23. At 111, Piken was believed to be the oldest man in the U.S., according to the Gerontology Research Group in December.

Each year since he turned 98, Piken’s Dec. 20 birthday was celebrated at the Laguna Woods Village Community Fitness Center, where he exercised daily.

“Irv would use the fitness center for an hour or so, then go to the driving range, hit some balls and then come back to finish his workout,” said fitness supervisor Peter Quan, who has known Piken for 13 years.

“I would greet him each time he came in by saying, ‘Hello, Mr. Piken. Do you have a joke for me?’ Irv would ponder a moment and deliver a funny, clean joke.”

Piken continued to drive to the fitness center until he was 102, Quan said. In his later years, he continued to use the fitness center for an hour on the cross-trainer.

Piken, who was born in 1908, was a longtime Los Angeles Dodgers fan, and the team recognized him with a billboard on his 108th birthday.

On his 111th birthday, in 2019, Piken was serenaded by the All American Boys Chorus in a special ceremony in the Laguna Woods Village Community Center. Village Management Services CEO Jeffrey Parker presented Piken with a certificate of commendation from Laguna Woods Village and letters from the California State Assembly, the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump.

Eileen Paulin, Laguna Woods Village communications director, said services were held on March 6.