Who Was Alive

Were Desmond Tutu and Barack Obama alive at the same time?

Yes. Desmond Tutu and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 60 years, from 1961 to 2021.

Desmond Tutu was 29 when Barack Obama was born.

Barack Obama was 60 when Desmond Tutu died, aged 90.

Desmond Tutu

South African churchman, politician, archbishop, Nobel Prize winner

Born 7 October 1931 · died 26 December 2021, aged 90

Barack Obama

44th President of the United States

Born 4 August 1961 · living, 65 as of September 2026

  1. Albert Einstein
  2. Adolf Hitler
  3. Ronald Reagan
  4. Nelson Mandela
  5. Desmond Tutu
  6. Donald Trump
  7. Vladimir Putin
  8. Michael Jackson
  9. Barack Obama
Desmond Tutu and Barack Obama in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.