John Updike · Barack Obama Were John Updike and Barack Obama alive at the same time? Yes. John Updike and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 47 years, from 1961 to 2009. John Updike was 29 when Barack Obama was born.Barack Obama was 47 when John Updike died, aged 76. John UpdikeAmerican novelist, poetBorn 18 March 1932 · died 27 January 2009, aged 76Barack Obama44th President of the United StatesBorn 4 August 1961 · living, 65 as of September 2026 Albert EinsteinAdolf HitlerRonald ReaganNelson MandelaJohn UpdikeDonald TrumpVladimir PutinMichael JacksonBarack Obama John Updike 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.