Who Was Alive

Were Derek Walcott and Barack Obama alive at the same time?

Yes. Derek Walcott and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 55 years, from 1961 to 2017.

Derek Walcott was 31 when Barack Obama was born.

Barack Obama was 55 when Derek Walcott died, aged 87.

Derek Walcott

Saint Lucian–Trinidadian poet and playwright

Born 23 January 1930 · died 17 March 2017, aged 87

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. Derek Walcott
  6. Donald Trump
  7. Vladimir Putin
  8. Michael Jackson
  9. Barack Obama
Derek Walcott 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.