96-year-old becomes oldest man to crack Billboard's Hot 100

A 96-year-old widower has become the oldest person to crack Billboard's Hot 100 pop chart, after recording a touching ode to his late wife.

Fred Stobaugh, from Illinois, wrote the lyrics to 'Oh Sweet Lorraine' for his departed wife and mailed them into an amateur music contest, the New York Post reported.

Now, at No. 44, he has even outpaced MTV superstars like Rihanna and Taylor Swift.

According to Billboard, Stobaugh, who penned the rhythm after Lorraine, his wife of 72 years, died in April, has surpassed its previous oldest star - Tony Bennett.