Who Was Alive

Were James Brown and Barack Obama alive at the same time?

Yes. James Brown and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 45 years, from 1961 to 2006.

James Brown was 28 when Barack Obama was born.

Barack Obama was 45 when James Brown died, aged 73.

James Brown

American musician

Born 3 May 1933 · died 25 December 2006, aged 73

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. James Brown
  6. Donald Trump
  7. Vladimir Putin
  8. Michael Jackson
  9. Barack Obama
James Brown 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.