Laughing Your Way to 100: Mel Brooks’s Secret to a Century of Life

Mel Brooks, who turns 100 on June 28, credits humor and laughter as key to his long, happy life, saying comedy keeps him sane and gives him a reason to live; studies link laughter to lower mortality and cortisol, and Brooks remains active with projects like a Spaceballs sequel and a related HBO documentary, while noting he doesn’t dwell on death and just keeps living.