A World War II veteran in California who canceled his 105th birthday party at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and asked for birthday cards instead died just before his 107th birthday, the city of Lakewood said Friday. His death was from natural causes. Sam Sachs, who served in the Army during the Second World War, made headlines in 2020 when he substituted his birthday party with a wish for birthday cards. “I’m wondering how many birthday cards I will get,” he said in a video on Facebook. “And I’m also asking our president to send me a card also. What a thrill that would be.” Thousands obliged, swarming Sachs’ assisted living home with cards and holding a drive-by parade outside it. Then-President Donald Trump also wrote him a letter, according to the Los Angeles Times.
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