A 100-year-old man has died, 100 years after his twin brother died in the Spanish Flu pandemic and they have become “pandemic bookends”.

The N.Y man, Philip Kahn and his late twin brother, who died from the Spanish Flu over 100 years ago, have become “pandemic bookends” after he passed away last week from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), according to his family.

Philip Kahn — a decorated World War II veteran from Great Neck, N.Y. — passed away in his home on Friday, according to a Facebook post made by Dr. Corey Karlin-Zysman on behalf of Kahn’s grandson, Warren Zysman.

Kahn who was born in 1919, while his twin brother as his sibling had died to the Spanish Flu shortly after they were born.

“It is such a blessing to have learned so much from him about the history he lived through and his wisdom which he shared with us through teaching us life lessons,” the Facebook post from the family read. “He has helped shape his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren into very resilient, hard working and loving 🥰 individuals.”

Reflecting on Kahn’s passing, Karlin-Zysman told CBS New York, “Both Philip and his brother were pandemic bookends. His brother having passed from the Spanish Flu and him regrettably having passed from COVID.”

“Knowing that you had a twin that you ultimately never got to know because of a pandemic really affected him,” she added. “He was completely with it at the end. He knew what was going on, and he definitely put two and two together and saw the irony in this.”
Due to restrictions on large gatherings amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Kahn was laid to rest in a small funeral on Monday.

“He always had a motto that history will always repeat itself, and he knew that there was possibility of a pandemic again,” Zysman told CBS New York. “The one silver lining is that my grandfather will finally have the opportunity to meet his twin brother after 100 years.”