Death by old age


 * See also: Death

When Sims reach the end of their lives, they will die of old age.

In The Sims 2, if a Sim had a long and happy life in which he/she fulfilled many wants and desires, thereby attaining a platinum aspiration bar, the Grim Reaper and two Hula Zombies will appear and relaxing music will play. The Reaper will flip through his notebook for a few seconds, then the Sim will pick up his/her suitcase and walk off with him. If the Sim had a disturbed or troubled life, where few wants were fulfilled or many bad things happened, the Grim Reaper will show the Sim his/her hourglass of life, and the Sim will try to pull it away from the Grim Reaper. Old age and drowning are the only base-game death scenarios in which a living Sim will not be able to plead with the Grim Reaper to bring the Sim back from death.

In The Sims 3 death from old age happens less dramatically, with the Grim Reaper taking Sims away. Sims with certain traits, like Unlucky or Clumsy, can only ever die of old age, as the Grim Reaper finds their misfortunes too hilarious to take them any earlier, and will simply revive them. If there are other Sims not in the same household as the elder (and story progression is on) who are friends or above with the elder, they will receive a phone call when the they are close to death, saying that the elder may not be around for long, and that now might be a good time to visit them.

In The Sims 2, after a Sim who died the 'nice' way disappears, a white grave with gold borders will appear. The symbol of the Sim's aspiration, colored gold, will also be on the grave. Otherwise, it will be a normal, grey grave. This is different in The Sims 3, in which the size of the tombstone is determined by whether the Sim completed their Lifetime Wish and how many Lifetime Happiness Points they had at the time of death. This applies to any form of death in The Sims 3.