system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: When a person dies of "old age", what is the actual cause of death?

Does the person's heart just stop? Basically, can someone explain what happens/what it means to die of old age?

edit: thanks everyone for your responses!!
gpt
It's typically a number of compounding issues.  As you get older, lots of things start to happen.  Organs lose functional capacity, vessels lose permeability, bones lose integrity, immunologic and endocrine systems lower greatly in function, etc etc etc

Death by 'old age' typically cannot be credited to one specific cause.  One elderly person may die of the common cold on account of the body's inability to fight off viruses sufficiently, while the next may experience spontaneous organ failure.

There really is no clear-cut answer.  Just like the parts in your car, the body's systems only last so long before they just wear out.